The British government on Tuesday said it would prevent thousands of international students from bringing family members into the country, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces growing political pressure to limit the number of people entering. population increased rapidly.
Under the new measures, only postgraduate research students will be granted dependent visas, ending a system under which others, such as those studying master’s courses, is also allowed.
The announcement comes just two days before the release of expected official figures showing net migration has risen to a record. Last year, it grew to 504,000 – the highest number ever – in the 12 months from June 2021 to June 2022.
To the embarrassment of the ruling Conservative government, net migration is now significantly higher than it was before Brexit, eliminating the automatic right of European Union citizens to work in the UK, a move widely accepted by most Europeans. Supporters of Britain’s departure welcome. During the Brexit referendum, supporters promised to “take back control” of the country’s borders, and many backers of the move expected immigration numbers to drop.
“We have seen an unprecedented increase in the number of dependent students being brought into the country on visas,” said home secretary, Suella Braverman, adding that the number of dependent visas has increased. 750 percent as of 2019, increasing to a total of 136,000 people.
She added in a statement, “it is time for us to tighten up this route to ensure we can cut the number of migrants and meet the government’s commitment to the British people to cut back.” net migrants.”
Although Mr Sunak has focused on tackling illegal immigration and stopping the flow of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel from France in small boats, his Conservative Party lawmakers also are concerned about legal immigration. Challenged on the matter last week, Mr Sunak admitted that the numbers were “too high”.
Immigration is a difficult issue for Ms. Braverman, a hawkish home secretary. The number increased following Britain’s decision to admit tens of thousands of people fleeing Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Ukraine but that only covers part of the increase.
However, adding restrictions has been difficult given the UK’s labor shortage and rising inflation, and struggling employers have been lobbying to expand the number of visas available. for jobs that have proven hard to fill, from healthcare to fruit picking.
The measures announced Tuesday aim to cut the number of migrants while limiting the impact on the economy.
According to government statistics, Nigeria has the highest number of visas for student dependents, 60,923 in 2022, up from 1,586 in 2019. Indian nationals have the second highest number, at 38,990 up from 3,135 in the same period. A total of nearly 120,000 dependent visas were issued in 2022 to the top five countries, Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Other changes announced on Tuesday include a requirement that international students complete their studies before they can start working in the UK. In a related move, Ms. Braverman also promised to crack down on “unscrupulous education agents who, she said, may be essentially selling “immigration, not education.” New restrictions will take effect in January.
University students are currently not allowed to bring dependents, and many of those taking short courses of less than a year are not counted in migration statistics.
Some critics suspect that the new restrictions will significantly reduce net migration figures, while others point to the risk to the huge revenue that international students generate.
In a statement, Jamie Arrowsmith, director of International Universities UK, which represents the industry, said that the announcement “provide some clarity to students and universities after months of rumors and speculation; but left some questions unanswered.
“Our research shows that international students make a huge economic contribution to the UK, with just a single group bringing in total benefit is £41.9 billion” he added.
“We also know that the public is overwhelmingly supportive of the international students we attract — just 9 percent people think we should discourage international students from choosing the UK.”
