Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
UK grants of work visas fell sharply in 2025 in a stark indication of the impact of tougher immigration policies, but there was little change in the number claiming asylum, Home Office figures showed on Thursday.
The number of work-related visas granted fell to 168,000 in the year to December, down by a fifth from the previous year and half the level seen in 2023, when the post-Brexit surge in immigration was at its peak.
The drop largely reflected the closure of a visa route for care workers but grants to skilled workers, who must now meet higher salary requirements, also fell by a third from 2024.
The number of visas granted for study at UK universities was little changed from 2024, at 407,000, following a drop of more than a third from 2023.
Claims for asylum fell by 4 per cent from the year to December 2024 to 101,000, with half of claimants arriving on small boats. Most of the remainder were already in the UK on other types of visa.
This is a developing story