Applications for UK work visas fell sharply in the year to September 2026, Home Office monthly entry-clearance statistics show, with Skilled Worker applications down 43% and Health and Care Worker applications down 63% on the previous year.

The headline figures

There were 26,400 Skilled Worker visa applications from main applicants in the year ending September 2026, a 43% fall from the year ending September 2025, with 35,500 applications from dependants, down 25%. Health and Care Worker main applicants numbered 7,500, down 63% in a year and 95% below the peak of 161,700 in the year to November 2023, with 31,000 dependant applications, down 36%. The Home Office links the falls to greater scrutiny of health and social care employers from late 2023 and to policy changes in spring 2024 and July 2025, including restrictions on care workers bringing dependants and, from July 2025, an end to new overseas applications from care workers.

Why it matters, and what to check

Commentators quoted in the coverage warn that skills shortages remain in sectors such as construction and manufacturing even as applications fall, so the drop in applications does not by itself mean vacancies have eased. Immigration rules change frequently: anyone considering an application should check the official GOV.UK page linked below for the current rules before acting. This article is general information about published statistics, not personal immigration advice.

Sources: Home Office monthly entry-clearance visa applications, September 2026 (GOV.UK); Personnel Today. Official page: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/monthly-entry-clearance-visa-applications-september-2026/monthly-entry-clearance-visa-applications-september-2026