National statistics

Study

Published 26 November 2015

Valid: 26 November 2015 to 24 February 2016

Data relate to the year ending September 2015 and all comparisons are with the year ending September 2014, unless indicated otherwise.

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1. Key facts

Total Study-related visas (excluding the ‘short term student’ category) granted fell by 4% to 213,560 in the year ending September 2015 (-9,280), including both main applicants and dependents. Over the same period, the number of university-sponsored study visa applications (main applicants) fell slightly (-2% to 168,229). There were falls for other sectors, notably a 19% fall for the further education sector to 16,191. Most of the fall in the Further Education (FE) sector’s sponsored visa applications since the peak in mid-2011 was accounted for by licenses which have since been revoked.

In the year ending June 2015, the ONS estimates that there were 131,000 non-EU long-term immigrants coming to study and who had an intention to remain a year or more, a 9% (+11,000) increase, though not statistically significant. Over the same period, the number of long-term (1 year or more) study-related visas granted (main applicants) was 1% lower at 139,903. Although the trends in the long-term estimates and comparable visa numbers can be very different, these most recent changes have resulted in the two series becoming much closer in the last year.

In the year ending June 2015, ONS also estimates that the number of non-EU former students who were long-term emigrants from the UK had fallen to 38,000.

Five nationalities accounted for over half (54%) of all study visas granted in the year ending September 2015 (see table below), with the largest number going to Chinese nationals (70,332 or 33% of the total). There were large increases in numbers of study visas granted (excluding the ‘short-term student’ category) for Chinese (+6,026; +9%), Indonesian (+261; +11%) and Mexican (+250; +18%) nationals, and large falls for Brazilian (-3,033; -56%), Libyan (-1,935; -51%) and Pakistani (-1,895; -39%) nationals.

Study-related grants of extensions fell by almost a quarter (-23%) to 69,011 in the year ending September 2015. Corresponding sponsored applications data (main applicants) showed a 24% fall, with two thirds of the fall due to fewer applications for the further education sector. The refusal rate for study-related extensions increased from 13% to 16%. These trends are likely to reflect previous falls in the visas granted and tightening of the rules such as the new use of the “genuineness” test from October 2013.

2. Study immigration: latest trends

	Year ending September 2014	Year ending September 2015	Change	Percentage change
Study-related visas granted (excl. short-term student(1))	222,840	213,560	-9,280	-4%
of which (Top 5):
China	64,306	70,332	+6,026	+9%
United States	14,018	14,250	+232	+2%
India	12,979	11,652	-1,327	-10%
Malaysia	10,675	10,144	-531	-5%
Nigeria	11,217	9,583	-1,634	-15%
Short-term student (1) visas granted (main applicants only)	75,477	62,216	-13,261	-18%
	Year ending June 2014	Year ending June 2015	Change	Percentage change
Long-term immigration for study (2) excluding dependants	120,000	131,000	+11,000	+9%
Long-term (1 year or more) study-related visas granted excluding dependants	140,912	139,903	-1,009	-1%

Table notes

Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics July to September 2015, Visas table vi 04, vi 06 q s, International Passenger Survey, Office for National Statistics,Migration Statistics Quarterly Report.
(1) The Short-term study category (previously described as ‘student visitor’) allows individuals to come to the UK for 6 months (or 11 months if they will be studying an English Language course) and cannot extend their stay, (further details at ‘Short-term study visa’). For consistency and comparability over time Short-term study visas have been excluded from study-related totals.
(2) Immigration for study data are estimates of the number of non-EU nationals intending to change their residence to the UK for at least 12 months based on the International Passenger Survey.

3. Long-term trends in student immigration

Chart notes

Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics July to September 2015, Visas tables vi 04 q (Visas volume 1), Admissions table ad 02 q and corresponding datasets; Office for National Statistics, Migration.
(1) Excludes ‘short-term students’ (previously referred to as ‘student visitors’) who are allowed to come to the UK for 6 months (or 11 months if they will be studying an English Language course) and cannot extend their stay. A proportion of Tier 4 student visa are also short term (under 1 year), see ‘Entry clearance visas by length’.
(2) Prior to the year ending September 2008, the count of student admissions is not comparable as there was no specific admissions category for ‘short-term students’ (previously referred to as ‘student visitors’) who may then have been recorded as either students or visitors.

The above chart shows that IPS long-term immigration estimates, while being substantially lower as they cover only those intending to remain a year or more, follow a broadly similar trend to student visas granted and passenger arrivals, with increases in all 3 series during 2009 and decreases after the year ending June 2011 (and study visas granted and IPS increasing more recently). In the latest quarter, the numbers of study visas of a year or more and the IPS estimates for long-term migration are almost identical, although that has not always been the case.

There are a range of potential reasons why IPS figures for long-term migrants may be different from figures for study visas granted or passenger arrivals, and hence why the trends in the different series do not match, including:

• sampling variation in the IPS (for example, the increase of 12,000 in study-related immigration for the calendar year 2014 had an estimated confidence interval of +/-20,000)
• IPS data for study relate to individuals whose main reason for migration was study so (unlike visas data) are likely to exclude their dependants.IPS data are likely to be more comparable with visa totals for main applicants than with the total for all study-related visas (eg including dependants)
• differences between intentions and visa length
• individuals may migrate for multiple different reasons
• timing differences between when visas are granted and when an individual actually travels
• visa and admissions data include dependants, and both short-term and long-term migrants

Further comparison of the data is described in the user guide.

4. Register of sponsoring educational institutions

On 30 September 2015, there were 1,466 educational institutions on the UK Visas and Immigration register of sponsoring educational institutions. This was 3% lower than the number on 30 June 2015 (1,516), and 8% lower than a year earlier (30 September 2014, 1,590) which continues the reduction in numbers seen since the published series began in October 2011 (2,370). The decrease in the number of sponsoring educational institutions is consistent with the introduction of new accreditation criteria and conditions of status for educational sponsors from April 2011.

5. Sponsored study visa applications by education sector

The number of study-related sponsored visa applications (main applicants) fell 4% in the year ending September 2015 to 204,157, compared with the previous 12 months (211,793). The trends are different in the four main sectors. There was a small fall in sponsored visa applications for the university sector (to 168,229; -2%) along with larger falls in the further education sector (to 16,191; -19%) and English Language schools (to 3,061; -10%), and a small fall in the independent schools sector (to 13,766; -2%).

Study-related sponsored visa applications by sector

Chart notes

Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics July to September 2015, Sponsorship table cs 09 q.
‘Universities’ relate to UK-based Higher Education Institutions.
‘Further education’ relates to tertiary, further education or other colleges.

The chart below shows that a large proportion of the fall in the FE sector’s sponsored visa applications from the peak has been accounted for by licenses which have since been revoked (license status as at 30 September 2015). This is likely to reflect enforcement action by UKVI against such institutions.

Study-related sponsored visa applications: FE sector

Chart notes

Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics July to September 2015, Sponsorship table cs 09 q, underlying datasets.
‘Further education’ relates to tertiary, further education or other colleges.
Data for license revoked shows CAS used (sponsored visa applications) for licences recorded as revoked as at 30 September 2015.

5.3 New entrants to UK Higher Education

Between the 2013 and 2014 academic years the Higher Education Statistics Authority reported that the number of non-EU new entrants to universities increased by 4% (to 179,390 students) compared with increases of 2% for UK students (to 759,160) and for other EU students (to 57,190). Over the last five years, comparing 2014 with 2009, the number of non-EU students has increased by 24% and there have been falls of 19% and 5% for UK and other EU students respectively (Source: HESA). ‘Higher Education Student Enrolments and Qualifications Obtained at Higher Education Providers in the United Kingdom 2013/14’.

6. Immigration for study, and emigration of former students

In the year ending June 2015, the ONS estimates that there were 131,000 non-EU long-term immigrants coming to study and who had an intention to remain a year or more, a 9% (+11,000) increase (though not statistically significant) compared with the previous 12 months.

By contrast, in the year ending June 2015 there were an estimated 38,000 former students who emigrated long term from the UK, a statistically significant decrease from 51,000 in the previous 12 months.

Source: ONS, International Passenger Survey, Migration Statistics Quarterly Report.

7. Extensions of stay

Study-related grants of extensions fell by almost a quarter (-23%) to 69,011 in the year ending September 2015, compared with the previous 12 months (89,405). This followed a fall from 129,158 in the year ending September 2011 to 99,851 in the year ending September 2013. The 69,011 extensions included 335 grants under the Tier 4 Doctorate Extension Scheme introduced on 6 April 2013.

The fall in grants of extensions of stay is likely to reflect previous falls in the numbers granted visas, together with tightening of the rules such as the new use of the “genuineness” test for study (Tier 4) extensions of stay, announced on 6 September 2013, ‘Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules’.

Looking at individuals’ previous category, an estimated 74,761 former students (main applicants) were granted extensions in 2014 (the latest available data for this analysis), compared with 112,432 for 2013. Of the extensions granted in 2014, the majority (84%) allowed individuals to continue to study, 9% allowed individuals to take up work (7,043 extensions, of which 5,639 were for Tier 2 skilled work) and 5% were family related. The corresponding proportions in 2013 were 89%, 6% (6,238, of which 4,176 for skilled work) and 5% but in 2012 they were 62%, 33% and 4% respectively. The fall in proportion of students allowed to switch largely reflects the closure of the Post-Study route.

Note that ‘short-term students’ are normally only allowed to stay for up to 6 months (11 months for English Language schools) and cannot extend their stay.

The number of study-related sponsored applications for extensions (main applicants) fell by 24% (-19,613) to 62,079. Much of the 19,613 drop was accounted for by a fall of almost two-thirds (-64%) in the further education sector (-12,992). There were also falls for universities (-5,489), Independent schools (-164) and for English language schools (-127).

8. ‘Short-term students’

The ‘short-term student’ category (previously referred to as ‘student visitors’) includes significant numbers admitted for up to 6 months as non-visa nationals without a visa. Visas are granted for a maximum of 6 months in duration or in a very small number of cases for 11 months if studying an English Language course. ‘Short-term students’ are not counted as long-term migrants and cannot extend their stay, so they are not included within the references to study visas in this section. Additionally some students in the study category (Tier 4 of the Points Based System) have short term visas (under 1 year), see ‘Entry clearance visas by length’.

There were 279,000 ‘short-term student’ admissions in the calendar year 2014, much higher than the numbers of student visitor visas granted (73,607 over the same period). This is due to many of the top 10 nationalities for student visitor admissions being non-visa nationalities (including the United States and Brazil). For example US, Brazil, and Japan accounted for 121,000, 19,100 and 17,200 respectively of the 279,000 student visitors admitted to the UK in 2014. Such nationals do not need to obtain a visa if they wish to come to the UK as a short-term student for up to a maximum of 6 months.

The number of ‘short-term student’ visas granted fell by 18% to 62,216 in the year ending September 2015, after previously having doubled from 37,703 in 2009 to 77,601 in 2013. For further information on short-term students see Short-term study visa and the Home Office research report, ‘Student visitors’.

9. Staying in the UK

The Migrant Journey Fifth Report reported that 16% of those granted student visas in 2008 appear to have legally remained in the immigration system or settled in the UK after 5 years (a lower proportion than the 24% for the earlier 2004 cohort, which may in part reflect the tightening of the Immigration Rules for students since September 2007).

After 5 years only 1% had been granted permission to stay permanently (settlement). This small proportion will reflect the rules for the student category (which does not directly lead to settlement) as individuals would have needed to switch into other immigration categories that lead to settlement, and the time that would then need to elapse before a settlement application can be made.

Source: Home Office, Migrant Journey Fifth Report.

10. Data tables

Data on student immigration, sourced from Home Office administrative systems, can be found in the following tables:

Sponsorship: tables cs 07 q to cs 14 q.
Visas vol. 1: tables vi 01 q, vi 04 and v1 04 q.
vi 01 q Entry clearance visa applications and resolution by category
vi 04 Entry clearance visas granted by category
vi 04 q Entry clearance visas granted by category

Visas vol. 3: tables vi 06 q s.
vi 06 q s Entry clearance visas granted by category and country of nationality: Study

Admissions: tables ad 02 to ad 03 and ad 03 s.
Extensions: tables ex 01 to ex 02 s.

Provisional estimates of long term immigration for formal study from the ONS International Passenger Survey (IPS) relate to those whose main reason for migration is formal study and so are likely to exclude dependants (who would be more likely to say their main reason was to ‘accompany or join’ rather than formal study).ONS data is published at, Migration Statistics Quarterly Report.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency publishes data on new entrants to UK Higher Education providers.

11. Background information

This section includes figures on study-related visas granted, passenger arrivals and extensions granted for non-EEA nationals. It also includes figures on long-term immigration to study (i.e. those intending to stay for at least 12 months to study) for non-EU nationals.

Data include dependants as well as main applicants unless stated otherwise. Estimates of long-term immigration for study from the ONS International Passenger Survey (IPS) relate to those whose main reason for migration is to study and so are likely to exclude dependants (who would be more likely to say their main reason was to ‘accompany or join’ rather than to study). All comparisons are with the previous 12 months unless indicated.