UK Government Retains Graduate Visa Route; Plans to raise compliance standards for institutions

After much debate across industries, the university sector, in political circles and considering recommendation by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), the UK government has not removed the Graduate Visa Route and decided to retain it.

The university sector and businesses were urging the UK government to not remove the Graduate Visa Route that allows international students to work or seek employment for up to two years after graduation, or three years for those pursuing a PhD. Now, the government has confirmed that it will retain the graduate visa route as recommended by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) report.

Lord Karan Bilimoria, Chancellor of the University of Birmingham during his visit to India said, “I know how hard parents of children who study abroad from India sacrifice to be able to pay for their children to study abroad, the loans that they have to take out. And to have the opportunity to work for two years after your studies in the UK, earn some money, help pay for your studies, get some valuable work experience, continue to build bridges with the UK and India, is phenomenal," as reported by Free Press Journal.

The Home Office is planning to tighten the regulations on recruitment agents and increase the compliance standards for educational institutions. The government has warned that the rogue agents who are exploiting international students hiring will have their business model smashed and the universities who fails to meet the stricter compliance standards can have their licences revoked.

"The UKGov announcement RE continuation of the graduate visa route is a welcome one. International students enrich our University and local community – with this route, our grads can continue to make an impact in the UK, combining knowledge, expertise, and international outlook," says the University of Dundee on X platform.

Graduate Route Visa review results in drop in international student applications 

The UK universities have reported a drop in international student applications after the Graduate Route visa review. Vice-chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton Professor Ebrahim Adia said that the government's plan to reduce Graduate Route visas could have a negative impact on the financial stability of British universities and hit Britain's economy. 

Professor Ebrahim Adia said, "it could have a damaging impact on jobs, student opportunities, and university finances, alongside wider impacts on local economies" as reported by BBC. 

After significant opposition, reportedly the government has decided to abandon plans to reduce Graduate Route Visas, but there is no official announcement made so far.

Moreover, the number of international students at the University of East Anglia (UEA) England has declined by 40%. UEA vice-chancellor and president David Maguire told BBC Politics East, "Our applications for international students are down 40%. My number one concern is how do we deal with a potential downturn in international students fees and what can we do to either supplement our income or reduce our cost base to accommodate that."

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