UK Prime Minister Yields to Pressure on Student Visa Policy

Rishi Sunak

UK PM Yields To Pressure Regarding Student Visas

Prior to now, Rishi Sunak had intended to reduce or eliminate the amount of time that international students could remain in the nation following their graduation.

It was discovered that the time would stand because of the objections voiced by Home Secretary James Cleverly, Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, and Education Secretary Gillian Keegan.

This goes against the opinions of former immigration minister Robert Jenrick and home secretary Suella Braverman, who called the graduate visa process “a back door for foreign students to do low wage work” on Tuesday.

However, further steps will also be taken, such as tightening regulations on the market for British degree programmes and making English proficiency tests required for some international students.

Furthermore, the government plans to introduce additional measures to coincide with the latest net migration figures, including stricter regulations on British Degree Courses Market and mandatory English language tests for certain international students.

Since November, the UK government has been implementing measures to reduce legal migration, in response to the Office of National Statistics' revelation that net migration had surged to 745,000 in 2022.

As part of its efforts to curb legal migration, the UK government has introduced measures including restricting foreign students from bringing family members and raising the minimum salary requirement for visa eligibility.