Last Update: January 26, 2023, 07:59 AM IST
Indians overtook the Chinese as the largest group of foreign students last year and the new graduate visa route was dominated by Indians. (Representational image)
Suella Braverman has drawn up a plan to ‘reform’ the graduate visa route which requires students to obtain a work visa or leave the UK after six months by securing a skilled job.
British Home Secretary Suella Braverman was reported to be at loggerheads with the country’s education department over plans to cut the length of time foreign students are allowed to stay under the post-study visa route, according to a UK media report on Wednesday. has gone.
The new graduate visa route, which gives foreign graduates, including Indians, the chance to seek work and gain work experience of up to two years without the need for a specific job offer, is expected to be cut under Braverman’s proposed review.
According to ‘The Times’, the Indian-origin home secretary has drawn up a plan to ‘reform’ the graduate visa route, which would require students to obtain a work visa by securing a skilled job or leave the UK after six months. The newspaper, citing leaked advice, says the UK Department for Education (DfE) is attempting to block the changes because they fear it will harm the UK’s attractiveness to international students.
A government source supporting Braverman’s plan said graduate visas were increasingly being used by students at “less respected universities”.
The newspaper quoted a source as saying, “It is being used as a backdoor immigration route.”
However, the DfE argues that the two-year graduate visa, often referred to as the UK’s post-study offer, was aligned with most of the UK’s main competitors, with only the US offering a one-year visa. having had.
According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Indians overtook the Chinese as the largest group of foreign students last year and the new graduate visa route launched in July 2021 was dominated by Indians – 41 per cent Granted accounting visa for
Braverman’s proposal is reportedly one of several being prepared after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asked the Home Office and DfE to submit proposals to reduce the number of overseas students coming to the UK. Figures published last week showed there were 680,000 overseas students in the UK. The government’s higher education strategy for 2019 included a target of 600,000 students by 2030, which was met last year.
Another proposal being considered would reportedly allow foreign students to bring dependent family members with them only if they are pursuing postgraduate research-based courses such as a PhD, or postgraduate courses that are at least two years long. Be
The UK Home Office declined to comment on the leak, but a government spokesman said: “Our points-based system is designed to be flexible according to the UK’s needs, with outstanding contributions from around the world to the UK.” Attracting top-level talent.Academic reputation and helping to keep our universities competitive on the world stage.
“We keep all of our immigration policies under constant review to ensure they best serve the country and reflect the public’s priorities.”
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)