By Loveena Tandon: Under pressure to reduce the record increase in net migration, the British government tightened its grip on dependents of international students.
“From January 2024, there will be restrictions on the ability for international students to bring family members on all but post-graduate research routes and banning people from using a student visa as a backdoor route to work in the UK,” the British government specified as a change of rules.
The overseas students “will be stopped from switching from the student visa route to work routes until their studies have been completed”, they further added.
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Immigration lawyer Hasil Makkar, Managing Director of Maalik Co Solicitors, who responded to the changes in an interview with India Today TV, said, “Some of the changes to the rules relating to international students are surprising, especially not being able to change to a sponsored work route without completing your studies, when the person can simply return to their country and apply under this route.”
Going a step further, the government aims to tighten their grip on agents who might be supporting inappropriate applications.
Though not specified in so many words, the intention must be to target those who conduct fake marriages in order to get a backdoor entry through the dependent visa route that allows full working rights in the UK for the spouse.
In a further attempt to tighten the grip, the students would need to, “demonstrate they can look after themselves and their dependants in the UK”, the rules state.
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Calling a rise in student dependent visas “unprecedented”, UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman said, “It is time for us to tighten up this route to ensure we can cut migration numbers and meet the government’s pledge to the British people to cut net migration. This is the fair thing to do to allow us to better protect our public services, while supporting the economy by allowing the students who contribute the most to keep coming here.
Last year, almost half a million student visas were issued while the number of dependants of overseas students has increased by 750% since 2019, to 136,000 people.”
Acknowledging the government’s concern over the rise in the number of dependent visas and the pressure it puts on the public services, Jamie Arrowsmith, Director of Universities UK International in a statement to India Today said: “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 programmes that are in scope before a proper assessment of the impact can be made. 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. The review process that has been announced must consider these issues.”
International students bring a total benefit of ã41.9 billion to the UK economy, while in the last year till December 2022, migration figures in the UK touched a record high of 606,000.
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It’s a fine balance to strike between curbing immigration due to the pressure it lays on the public service and the economic benefit of overseas students, considering they pay three times of the fee as compared to local students, who have access to low-interest loans too.
Recognising this, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said, “Attracting the top students from around the world isn’t just good for our universities – it’s essential for our economy and building vital global relationships. But the number of family members being brought to the UK by students has risen significantly. It is right we are acting to reduce this number while maintaining commitment to our International Education Strategy, which continues to enrich the UK’s education sector and make a significant contribution to the wider economy.”
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