by Lavina TandonUnder pressure to reduce the record increase in net migration, the British government has tightened its noose on dependents of international students.
“From January 2024, there will be restrictions on the ability for international students to bring family members on all except postgraduate research routes and people will be banned from using student visas as a backdoor to work in the UK ,” the British government specified as a change in regulations.
He further said that foreign students “will be barred from switching from student visa routes to work routes until the completion of their studies”.
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Responding to the changes in an interview with India Today TV, immigration lawyer Hasil Makkar, managing director of Owner Ko Solicitors, said, “Some of the changes in the rules relating to international students are surprising, especially not being able to change one in your Sponsored work route without completing studies, when the person can simply return to their home country and apply under this route.
Going a step further, the government aims to tighten its grip on agents who may be endorsing inappropriate applications.
Although not specified in so many words, the intention is to target those who fake marriages to gain backdoor entry through the dependent visa route which allows full work rights in the UK for either spouse. Is.
In a further attempt to tighten the hold, students must “demonstrate that they can support themselves and their dependents in the UK”, the rules state.
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UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman described the increase in dependent student visas as “unprecedented”, saying: “It is time for us to strengthen this pathway to ensure we can cut migration numbers and keep British people safe and secure”. This is the right thing to do to allow us to better protect our public services while supporting the economy by allowing the highest contributing students to come here.
Last year, almost half a million student visas were issued, while the number of dependents of overseas students has increased by 750% since 2019 to 136,000.
Acknowledging the government’s concern about the increase in the number of dependent visas and its pressure on public services, Jamie Arrowsmith, director of Universities UK International, said in a statement to India Today: “While the majority of students will be unaffected by the proposal which limit living capacity, more information is needed on the programs that can be undertaken before a proper assessment of impact can be made. Yet we know that any change will have a disproportionate impact on women. and students from some countries. So we urge the government to work with the sector to limit and monitor the impact on particular groups of students – and on universities that are already under severe financial pressure These issues should be considered in the announced review process.
International students contribute a total of ã41.9 billion to the UK economy, while in the year to December 2022, migration figures to the UK are set to reach a record high of 606,000.
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This is a fine balance between straining the public service and preventing immigration due to the economic benefits of foreign students, given that they pay three times as much as local students, who also have access to low-interest loans. Are. ,
Recognizing this, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said, “Attracting top students from around the world is not only good for our universities – it is essential for our economy and for building important global relationships. But there has been a significant increase in the number of family members brought by students to the UK. It is right that we are working to reduce this number while maintaining a commitment to our International Education Strategy, which continues to enrich the UK education sector and make a significant contribution to the wider economy.”
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