United Kingdom (Commonwealth Union)_ The UK government has announced a new immigration crackdown targeting international students, including those from India, with regards to their visa entitlements for bringing dependent family members to the country while pursuing education at British institutions. Accordingly, Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced that only foreign students enrolled in postgraduate courses specifically designated as research programs will be permitted to bring their dependent family members, such as children and elderly parents, to the UK.
Additionally, the new legislation also eliminates the option for overseas students to transfer to a work visa before completing their studies. This decision is a result of a significant increase in the number of visas issued to dependents of sponsored students, which rose from 16,000 in 2019 to 136,000 by the end of 2022. The following are the key updates of the new immigration policy.
- Overseas students restricted from bringing dependants:
According to Braverman’s announcement, the measures outlined involve the removal of the right for overseas students to bring their dependents to the UK, unless they are enrolled in postgraduate courses that are currently designated as research programs.
- No transition from student visa to work visa:
The new regulations impose limitations on international students’ ability to transition from the student visa to the work visa before completing their studies.
- Crackdown on unscrupulous education agents:
Braverman has also expressed a commitment to taking action against unethical education agents who may be facilitating inappropriate applications, focusing on selling immigration rather than promoting education.
- Graduate route terms unchanged:
According to Braverman, the terms of the graduate route will remain unaffected. The country is dedicated to attracting the most talented individuals to the UK. Consequently, the intention is to collaborate with universities over the next year to develop an alternative approach that enables outstanding students to bring their dependents to our world-class universities while simultaneously reducing net migration.
These new measures are expected to be implemented as soon as possible, following discussions with the education sector and major stakeholders. According to Jamie Arrowsmith, Director of Universities UK International (UUKi), which is the representative body for 140 UK universities, “While the vast majority of students will be unaffected by proposals that limit the ability to be accompanied by dependents, more information is needed on the programs that are in scope before a proper assessment of the impact can be made”.
Jamie added, “Yet we do know that any changes are likely to have a disproportionate impact on women and students from certain countries. We, therefore, urge the government to work with the sector to limit and monitor the impact on particular groups of students – and on universities, which are already under serious financial pressures”. Further, it is worth noting that Indians constitute the largest group to acquire this visa since its introduction in July 2021. According to official data for 2020-2021, there were 87,045 first-year Indian applicants, trailing behind China’s 99,965 and ahead of Nigeria’s 32,945.
