The number of family-related visas plummeted over 2025 as the government clamped down on dependants joining migrant workers and students.
In fresh data published by the Home Office on Thursday, it was revealed that just 67,000 visas were offered to spouses, children and other dependants of migrants.
It represented a sharp 22 per cent drop on 2024, with partner visas falling by 27 per cent to 41,000.
The data point is key for policymakers hoping to make immigration more productive for the UK economy, with research showing that migrant partners are more costly for UK taxpayers.
The independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) warned last year that people arriving on family visas were likely to have a negative impact on public finances and essential services regardless of the salary of migrants on work visas.
The average net fiscal deficit over a migrant partner’s lifetime can rack up to £109,000 per person, according to research.
Under plans set out by home secretary Shabana Mahmood, partners of non-British citizens will have to wait 10 years before being able to apply for settled status. They will have to seek settled status by their own account, meaning that they will also have to prove they pay more tax than they receive in benefits.
Partners also face stricter English language rules than previously set.
Changes to family-related visas set out by the government have faced heavy criticism from senior immigration lawyers and researchers.
Julia Willemyns, the co-founder of the Centre for British Progress, a growth-focused think tank, suggested family visas should be assessed at the household level rather than on an individual basis.
The think tank’s new report on the migration system, which suggests migration policy should be designed around people’s contributions, argued against a flat £41,700 salary threshold for skilled worker visas.
It proposed that salary thresholds for migrants should change across age groups to factor in levels of contribution to the state over people’s lifetimes.
Worker visas fall
Recent figures published by the government showed a drop in work-related visas issued to migrants in 2024, with 168,000 applications being granted over 2025.
Student visas were broadly flat, falling by around three per cent to 407,000 last year. This was, however, more than a third below the peak in the year ending June 2023.
Data also showed the number of asylum seekers staying in hotels falling to its lowest level in 18 months as 31,000 people were supported with expensive accommodation.