A new batch of UK student visa data, covering the first quarter of 2022 from January to March, was released on May 26^th. The data shows that 56,027 sponsored study visas were issued to main applicants in the first quarter of the year – up 43 per cent over the first quarter of 2021, and higher than the same period of any previous year.

Countries in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa experienced particularly strong growth, with Indian citizens receiving the highest number of visas while Nigeria, Nepal and Sri Lanka all saw visa issuances more than double compared to a year ago. Meanwhile visa issuances in China were down 32 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2021 – although it should be noted that Q1 2021 was a particularly strong quarter in China, and the number of visas issued is still substantially higher than the same period in 2020 or 2019.

While this data shows a strong growth trend in many countries, readers should note that the UK’s academic year means that only a small minority of UK student visas are issued in the first quarter of the year. Last year the January-March period only accounted for 10 per cent of all sponsored study visa issuances, while pre-pandemic data shows that the proportion in 2018 and 2019 was only 5 per cent. This means that Q1 visa data can be easily affected by shifting trends in application times, and does not necessarily represent the growth in full-year visa data.

The table below shows the top 10 countries in terms of visas issued in the first quarter of 2022. The countries on this list do not necessarily match the top countries in terms of total annual visa issuances because of differences in the proportion of visas issued in the first quarter of the year.

(* Data refers to sponsored study visas issued to main applicants. Visas issued to dependents are not included in these totals.)