The Home Office today published a notice confirming that Monthly Entry Clearance Visa Application statistics for November 2025 will be released on 11 December 2025. The dataset tracks work, study and family-route volumes and is a leading indicator for demand on biometric-enrolment centres and decision-making times.
Why it matters: processing capacity is under strain after fee hikes earlier this year and the rollout of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). Employers planning Q1 2026 start dates use the monthly figures to anticipate queue times and assign Certificates of Sponsorship earlier. Last month’s report showed a 19% year-on-year rise in Skilled Worker submissions, driven by health-care recruitment and the tech sector.
![Home Office schedules November visa-application statistics release, signalling greater data transparency]()
The December release will be the first to capture initial demand under the expanded High Potential Individual visa (eligible universities doubled on 4 November) and any drop-off linked to today’s higher student-maintenance threshold. Analysts will watch for early signals that cost increases are dampening demand from price-sensitive regions such as South-East Asia.
For policy advocates, the pre-announcement fulfils a recommendation by the Migration Advisory Committee for at least four weeks’ notice of statistical releases. Greater predictability allows universities, sponsors and industry bodies to prepare commentary and evidence for parliamentary committees.
Action points: global mobility teams should diarise 11 December and be ready to refine 2026 hiring forecasts once figures land. Data specialists may wish to pre-pull historical series to benchmark against the new release format, which will include disaggregated ETA data for the first time.
Why it matters: processing capacity is under strain after fee hikes earlier this year and the rollout of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). Employers planning Q1 2026 start dates use the monthly figures to anticipate queue times and assign Certificates of Sponsorship earlier. Last month’s report showed a 19% year-on-year rise in Skilled Worker submissions, driven by health-care recruitment and the tech sector.
The December release will be the first to capture initial demand under the expanded High Potential Individual visa (eligible universities doubled on 4 November) and any drop-off linked to today’s higher student-maintenance threshold. Analysts will watch for early signals that cost increases are dampening demand from price-sensitive regions such as South-East Asia.
For policy advocates, the pre-announcement fulfils a recommendation by the Migration Advisory Committee for at least four weeks’ notice of statistical releases. Greater predictability allows universities, sponsors and industry bodies to prepare commentary and evidence for parliamentary committees.
Action points: global mobility teams should diarise 11 December and be ready to refine 2026 hiring forecasts once figures land. Data specialists may wish to pre-pull historical series to benchmark against the new release format, which will include disaggregated ETA data for the first time.
