Indian Students in UK Urge PM Rishi Sunak To Protect Graduate Route Visa Policy

While the UK government is contemplating whether to keep or axe the Graduate Route Visa Policy, Indian students in the UK have also urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to protect the "Graduate Route" visa policy. 

After the business leaders in the UK requested Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to not axe the "Graduate Route" visa policy, now Indian student body, National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK (NISAU UK) has also urged the Prime Minister to protect the policy.

The policy offers a great opportunity for international students to live and work in the UK for up to two years after graduation. Industry and education experts opine that removing this policy can cause immense damage to the UK university sector which is already facing a cash shortage and is highly dependent on the fees collected from the international students.

NISAU UK Chair Sanam Arora has written a letter to Prime Minister Sunak and appealed for the Graduate Route to remain unchanged without any modifications. As per her letter, any changes in this policy will make the UK a less attractive study-abroad destination among international students.

She highlighted that international graduates are highly invested in their UK education and are net positive contributors to the UK. The main points highlighted in the letter are - the role of international graduates in addressing skill shortages, the strengthening of Britain's global influence and soft power, the enhancement of educational experiences for domestic students, widespread public support for the Graduate Route, economic benefits of international students, the promotion of research and innovation, the strengthening of Britain's global influence and soft power, and the strategic importance of universities to the UK.

The Background

Home Secretary James Cleverly requested a swift review of the "Graduate Route" visa policy in March. The United Kingdom's Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) submitted its report after the review on May 14. The Committee recommended keeping the policy as they found there is no evidence of abuse of the policy.

Brian Bell, MAC chair, stated, "We have not found evidence of widespread abuse on the Graduate Route, where we define abuse as deliberate non-compliance with immigration rules, and we conclude that the route is not undermining the integrity and quality of the UK higher education system," as reported by NDTV.

Read more:

• Businesses warn scrapping of Graduate Visa Route can undermine university sector
• Graduate Route Visa Debate: UK witnesses decline in international student applications