(UNITED KINGDOM) — The UK Home Office released official migration statistics on February 27, 2026 showing Indian nationals led visa extensions across the country’s main study and work routes in the year ending December 2025.
India ranked first by nationality in four categories highlighted in the data: sponsored study visas granted to main applicants, skilled worker extensions, health and care worker extensions, and Graduate Route extensions.
Indian nationals received 95,231 sponsored study visas, which the Home Office statistics put at 23% of total main applicants. They also received 90,031 skilled worker extensions, 104,555 health and care worker extensions, and 90,153 Graduate Route extensions.
The figures place Indian students and workers ahead of other large source countries across routes that feed universities, the skilled worker visa pipeline and the health and care sector workforce.
In sponsored study visas granted to main applicants, India’s 95,231 compared with 89,019 for China and 30,781 for Pakistan. The Home Office data put China at 22% and Pakistan at 8% of the total.
Overall, sponsored study visas rose 3% from the prior year, reversing a recent downward trend cited alongside the statistics.
Skilled worker extensions rose 12% year-over-year, driven by skilled and health sectors, according to the Home Office data summary. Indians received 90,031 skilled worker extensions, far ahead of Pakistan with 16,098 and Nigeria with 12,485.
Health and care worker extensions showed the largest Indian total among the categories referenced in the release. Indian nationals received 104,555 extensions, compared with 88,461 for Nigeria and 28,914 for Zimbabwe.
The Home Office summary linked the health and care route to roles such as nurses, clinicians and therapists, describing those jobs in the context of UK recruitment needs.
On the Graduate Route, Indian nationals received 90,153 extensions out of a total of 221,335, which the statistics said was down 6% overall. Nigeria ranked second with 42,220 and Pakistan third with 30,464.
The Graduate Route allows eligible graduates to stay and work after completing their studies for up to 2 years, or 18 months for applications on or after January 1, 2027, the Home Office summary said.
Taken together, the totals show Indian nationals as the most frequent beneficiaries among foreign nationals across these major visa categories, reinforcing India’s position as a dominant source of international students and a large share of the country’s retained skilled workforce.
The sponsored study visa figures also indicate that Indian students remain central to international enrolment patterns at UK universities, the Home Office-linked summary said, with growth resuming after a period described as a downward trend.
For employers, the work-route extension numbers show continued retention across sectors mentioned in the Home Office narrative, including technology, engineering and healthcare. The skilled worker visa route has become a major channel for keeping experienced staff already in the country.
In healthcare, the high count of health and care worker extensions points to ongoing reliance on overseas staff in a sector that UK policymakers and employers have repeatedly tied to workforce pressures. The Home Office summary framed the roles as essential amid recruitment challenges.
The distribution across routes also highlights the interplay between education pathways and post-study work options. The Graduate Route totals show many former students extending their stay through a post-study work option before moving elsewhere in the system or leaving.
Even as India led each category described in the release, the figures also show strong demand across multiple nationalities, including China in study visas and Nigeria in health and care and graduate extensions.
The Home Office data placed China close behind India in sponsored study visas for main applicants, underscoring continued competition among leading source countries for places at UK institutions.
Pakistan appeared as a consistent top-three country in both sponsored study visas and skilled worker extensions, while Nigeria ranked second in health and care worker extensions and Graduate Route extensions.
The Home Office release situated the extension data within broader migration patterns since the UK’s post-Brexit immigration system took effect. That system, the summary said, prioritizes skilled workers and international students.
Policy shifts in recent years aimed to balance labour market needs and migration levels, the Home Office-linked narrative said, while the extension totals showed continued inflows and retention in routes tied to work and study.
The Home Office summary also referenced asylum and small boat patterns in 2025 alongside the visa extension figures. Asylum claims fell 4% while small boat arrivals rose 13% in 2025, and Indians ranked 7th in asylum claims.
The statistics do not break down in this summary how many of the skilled or health-related extensions were tied to specific occupations beyond the references to nurses, clinicians and therapists in the health and care route description.
For Indian students, the sponsored study visa total of 95,231 indicates continued interest in UK higher education as a destination, while the 90,153 Graduate Route extensions show large numbers staying on after graduation to work or look for work.
For Indian professionals, the skilled worker extension total of 90,031 and health and care extensions of 104,555 underline strong continuation in the labour market, including in the health and care sector where staffing needs remain a focus of public debate.
The combination of the Graduate Route and skilled worker visa routes can shape decisions by both students and employers about long-term plans, especially as the Graduate Route rules change to 18 months for applications on or after January 1, 2027.
The Home Office summary also framed the UK as competing with other destinations for students and professionals. It pointed to people weighing alternatives such as Canada, Australia, or the U.S. when planning careers, visas and long-term residency pathways.
In comparative terms, the Home Office statistics highlighted Indian dominance in UK education-linked and work-linked migration relative to other countries across the extension categories cited in the February 27, 2026 release.
The year-ending December 2025 totals place India first not only in sponsored study visas granted to main applicants but also in the post-study Graduate Route and in two work-related extension streams, indicating sustained presence across the full pipeline from study to work.
With sponsored study visas rising 3% overall and work route extensions rising 12% year-over-year, the Home Office figures show growth in the routes tied to universities and to the labour market segments described as skilled and health-related.
The same release’s reference points on asylum and small boat arrivals show a different set of pressures and trends running alongside the student and skilled worker visa pathways that dominate the extension numbers.
Indian Students and Skilled Workers Drive Visa Extensions in UK Health and Care
Official migration statistics for 2025 reveal that Indian nationals are the leading recipients of UK visa extensions in education and skilled labor. India topped categories for study, healthcare, and post-study work, reinforcing its position as the UK’s largest source of international talent. Despite minor policy shifts and changing Graduate Route durations, Indian presence remains central to the UK’s university and healthcare sectors.
