The United Kingdom is implementing visa reforms aimed at reducing migration by restricting postgraduate students from bringing dependents or using their academic status as a pathway to employment. The move is intended to address concerns about the strain on public services caused by the significant rise in students bringing family members. The new immigration rules will limit the number of family members that international students can bring into the country, specifically targeting dependents of students.
Suella Braverman, the UK’s Home Secretary, stated on Twitter that tightening the student route would help cut migration by restricting postgraduate students from bringing dependents or using the route as a backdoor to work. The reforms were announced as the number of visas issued to student dependents increased eightfold between 2019 and 2022, reaching 136,000 in the year ending December 2022.
Under the new policy, only family members of international students in postgraduate research programs will be allowed to join them in the UK. The government also plans to prevent international students from switching to work visas before completing their studies and review the financial requirements for students and their dependents. Additionally, enforcement against education agents suspected of facilitating inappropriate visa applications will be strengthened.
Suella Braverman emphasized that the graduate route, which permits students to stay in the UK for work experience after completing their studies, remains unchanged. The government aims to work with universities to develop an alternative approach over the next year that ensures the best and brightest students can bring dependents to UK universities while reducing net migration.
The new regulations, set to take effect in January 2024, are expected to significantly reduce the number of postgraduate students able to bring their spouses or children to the UK. The annual limit is anticipated to decrease from the current 30,000 to 10,000. The UK government has pledged to reduce immigration following its departure from the European Union, and these changes align with that objective.
However, concerns have been raised about the impact of these reforms on female students and those from specific countries. Universities UK International (UUKi), the representative body for 140 UK universities, expressed apprehension and called for the government to collaborate with the sector to limit and monitor the effects on specific student groups and universities already facing financial pressures.
In terms of study visas, Indians have surpassed Chinese nationals as the leading nationality granted such visas in the UK. Nigerian students top the list of those bringing dependents, followed by Indians. The UK government’s commitment to maintaining the Graduate route visa, which allows students to stay and gain work experience for up to three years after their degree, has been welcomed by UUKi.
