London: Indian students and workers on Thursday topped the tally of visa-holders leaving the UK as the country’s latest net migration data revealed a significant drop of 204,000, down 80 per cent from a peak in 2023.
The UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) data reveals that around 45,000 Indians on study visas and 22,000 professionals on work-related visas had left the UK as their country of residence in the year ending June 2025. An additional 7,000 Indian nationals logged under the “other” visa category also left the country, making up a total of 74,000 Indian emigrants followed by 42,000 Chinese nationals as the second highest in the UK’s exit tally.
“Indian was the most common non-EU (European Union) nationality to emigrate (or leave) from the UK,” the ONS states in its data release.
“The increase in long-term emigration of non-EU+ nationals who originally arrived on study-related visas is primarily being
driven by the large numbers of Indian and Chinese nationals leaving in YE June 2025,” it notes.
Indians, meanwhile, continue to hold on to the top slot in terms of immigration into the UK with 90,000 logged under study visa grants and 46,000 for work purposes.
“Indian, Pakistani, Chinese and Nigerian are regularly among the top five most frequent non-EU+ nationalities for long-term immigration,” the ONS added.
Reducing net migration, or the difference between the number of people arriving and leaving, has been among the British government’s priorities.
“Net migration is at the lowest level seen since 2021, when pandemic lockdown restrictions were lifted and the new immigration system was introduced following the UK’s EU exit,” said Mary Gregory, Executive Director for Population and Census at the ONS.
“The fall is largely due to fewer people from outside the EU arriving for work and study related reasons, with a steep decline in the number of dependents, and a continued, gradual increase in levels of emigration. Overall, non-EU+ net migration has more than halved in the year ending June 2025.