New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS): Over half a million Indians visited the UK within 12 months, marking an 11 per cent increase over the last year, according to a report.

The latest quarterly report on Migration Statistics published by the UK's Office for National Statistics said that more than 503,000 Indian nationals received visitor visas for the year ending June 2019.

The report, published every quarter by the UK's Office for National Statistics, shows that Indian and Chinese nationals together accounted for nearly half (49 per cent) of all visitor visas granted, the British High Commission said in a statement.

The number of Indian students studying in the UK has seen a remarkable 42 per cent increase. In addition to the visitor visas, nearly 22,000 Indian nationals received a Tier 4 (study) visa for the year ending June 2019 -- up from approximately 15,000 in the last year. The number of Indians studying in the UK has almost doubled in three years and is now at the highest levels since 2011.

Indian nationals continue to receive more skilled work visas than the rest of the world combined, accounting for 52 per cent of all Tier 2 visas granted globally. More than 56,000 Indians received skilled work visas -- a 5 per cent increase compared to the last year, which is also the largest increase for any country.

Dominic Asquith, High Commissioner to India, said: "The continued rise in these figures is fantastic news for the UK-India relationship. It also shows that the UK continues to be a welcoming place for Indians to work, study and vacation. The more Indians who visit, the stronger the living bridge becomes between our two countries."