UK work visas, broken down by the recipient’s nationality. Every country’s page tracks how its numbers have moved recently, the kinds of jobs that get sponsored, and which employers are doing most of the hiring.
Every number here is a Skilled Worker or Health & Care Worker grant. Those are the two UK routes that actually need employer sponsorship. Study, family, and visitor visas aren’t in this data.
Grants to main applicants, one row per Home Office annual release.
| Year | Grants | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 45,786 | -46.1% |
| 2024 | 84,875 | -59.8% |
| 2023 | 211,217 | +47.9% |
| 2022 | 142,799 | +111.9% |
| 2021 | 67,382 | — |
The countries that moved the most between 2024 and 2025, up and down. Nationalities with fewer than 100 recent grants are excluded so small-sample swings don’t dominate the ranking.
The five biggest origins in 2025 were India (8,734), United States (3,256), Pakistan (3,038), Philippines (2,574), France (1,864). India has held the top spot every year since the current sponsorship system replaced Tier 2 in December 2020.
The Home Office issued 45,786 Skilled Worker and Health & Care Worker visas to main applicants in 2025, down 46.1% on 2024.
No. The numbers here are first-decision grants to main applicants only. Dependants (partners and children) are published in a separate Home Office dataset, and visa extensions and settlement grants aren't included either.
Source: Home Office Immigration Statistics year ending Dec 2025. Data covers 2020–2025. Last updated 17 April 2026.