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31 May Student visa route reforms targeted at reducing net migration

Posted on May 31, 2023 in Migra & Co by
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On 23 May 2023, the UK government announced a package of measure to help reduce net migration.

According to the data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in November 2022, net migration in the year from June 2021 to June 2022 was 504,000, which is significantly higher than the previous year and higher than pre-Brexit. The Home Office stated that the increase in migration was indeed attributed to some temporary factors, such as the UK’s Ukraine and Hong Kong schemes. However, there has also been an unexpected rise in the number of dependants coming to the UK, along with international students.

The statistics show that around 136,000 visas were granted to dependants of sponsored students in the year ending December 2022, which is an eight-fold increase compared to the 16,000 visas granted in 2019. International education, in fact, makes a substantial contribution to the UK economy. Consequently, the government aims to ensure that migrants are highly skilled and capable of providing the greatest benefits.

As a result, the Home Office has now taken the decision to tighten the student visa route. The details of these changes are as follows:

– Removing the right for international students to bring dependants unless they are on postgraduate courses currently designated as research programmes.

–  Removing the ability for international students to switch out of the student route into work routes before their studies have been completed.

– Reviewing the maintenance requirements for students and dependants.

– Steps to clamp down on unscrupulous education agents who may be supporting inappropriate applications to sell immigration not education.

– Better communicating immigration rules to the higher education sector and to international students.

– Improved and more targeted enforcement activity.

The new reforms will come into force in January 2024. It is confirmed that the terms of the graduate route remain unchanged.

 

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