Graduate Route Visa extension, fast-track visa process, and expectations of more pro-immigrant policies under the new UK Labour Government.
This new political whirlwind has brought with it a glimmer of hope for international students and associated stakeholders. On July 5, Keir Starmer defeated Rishi Sunak to take the oath as the new Prime Minister of the UK. This places Indian students and other international stakeholders in a hopeful space for more immigrant-friendly policies, particularly with regard to studying in the UK on a graduate route visa.
Troubled Past: Graduate Route Visa
It has only been a few months since it was reported that ex-UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would scrap the UK’s Graduate Route Visa, which permits foreign students to have the opportunity to work or search for employment in the UK for two years after their studies. This was to be a move designed to control high immigration numbers. On the other side of the coin, the Migration Advisory Committee strongly felt that the Graduate Route Visa UK must be retained; otherwise, its abolition would mean fantastic times for universities in the UK, since this places those centres at risk of major financial difficulties, including possible job losses, the eventual closure of courses, and cuts to research activities; some of them even close down in severe cases.
Though this was a ray of hope for Indian students seeking to do higher studies in the UK, some other restrictive policies, like restricting international postgraduate research students from bringing their dependents along, have extracted a slice of that hope off the pie. Clearly, as recommended by the group, this had generated a sliver of hope for Indian students aspiring to study in the UK, even though other restrictive policies—like restricting international postgraduate research students from bringing along their dependents—have had an adverse impact on studying in the UK.
Hopes Restored with the New Government
Now, with Keir Starmer and the Labour Party at the helm of affairs, optimism has returned to the minds of Indian students. Many hoped that the new government would frame policies that favoured international students.
Sunak’s government was going to increase financial maintenance, revise English language assessments, and abolish the Graduate Route Visa UK. This is not implemented, but the news of such possibilities scares us. It affects our mental health since we are unable to plan our future.”. Leaders should remember that we have to think about our course, university, finances, living arrangements, finding local guardians, the ROI of the degree, and much more. I hope the new Starmer government will be more considerate to youngsters who just want to acquire some quality education,” Delhi-based 27-year-old Khushi Jain said, who aspires to do a higher degree in the next two years.
Labour Party Support Study abroad experts and UK universities are optimistic about the new Labour government. The Labour Party has traditionally been very supportive of flexible immigration policies—a thing central to widening study and work options for international students. This synergy will benefit all students and provide stronger pathways for better prospects in countries like India.
The Labour Party has always been very supportive of flexible immigration policies—a vector proposition that holds the key to the betterment of study and work opportunity pathways. This is because the students are aligned, and subsequently, the pathways to better job opportunities open up for them. There is an upbeat sentiment globally and even for Indian students,” said Saurabh Arora, founder and CEO of University Living.
On the other side, Prof. Manuel Barcia, the Dean of Global Engagement at the University of Leeds, said in support of the argument by Arora: “From the signals made by the incoming government before the election, we can fairly speculate that a new government will work closely with universities in a drive to rectify years of neglect under previous administrations.” The new Education Secretary, This much has already been said by Bridget Phillipson.
Future Policy Changes and Recommendations
The new dependent visa restrictions have made Indian students wary of a degree in the UK. Experts are optimistic that there will be a review; maybe a rollback will come. In the first full year of the Graduate Route Visa UK, in the year ending Q2 2022, 66,000 graduate visas were issued to main applicants and dependents. This grew to more than double to 144,000 visas in 2023, and in 2023, there were 30,000 dependent visas issued.
“The revision in the dependent visa policy will, therefore, restore integrity by regaining the confidence of Indian students and keeping the UK at the top as far as destinations for international education are concerned.”. It also foretells the promise of an easier visa route to ensure a faster and easier pathway for gaining the necessary permissions to study in the UK, and hence the work experience by way of more adequate post-study work opportunities that will help them contribute and learn from the UK job market,” said Manisha Zaveri, Joint Managing Director of Career Mosaic.
ROI of a UK Degree
As international students, one pays substantially higher tuition fees in the UK than local students do. A MAC report said that during the academic year 2021–22, non-EU students at undergraduate and postgraduate taught courses at top-ranked UK HEIs were charged an average of £21,490 (approximately Rs 22 lakh) and £24,040 (approximately Rs 25 lakh), respectively. Those for universities ranked 1000+ had lower fees, with undergraduate study costing £13,740 and postgraduate study costing £8,480, or approximately Rs 8.9 lakh. On the other hand, undergraduate fees for home students in England have been capped at £9,250 since 2017 for a course, which is around ₹9.8 lakh in Indian rupees.
International fees account for 22% of total income for the top 100 universities and slightly higher at 23% for those in the 1000+ grouping. While there is the likelihood of universities breaking even or making a profit by inviting international students, the Starmer government is encouraged to make sure that students get a good ROI on their UK degree investment.
“A UK degree represents fantastic value for money for Indian students.”. The skills acquired while taking a degree at a UK university are transferable—that is, analytical, written, and oral skills can be applied to practically any job and in any sector,” said Manuel Barcia.
Conclusion:
The optimism with a new Labour government in the saddle is that there can be a turn-about in policies to being more migrant-friendly, especially for international students. Another visa process, more streamlined, or the opening of a lot more potential for UK Graduate Route Visas, may further cement the United Kingdom as a destination for higher education. Much-improved scholarship schemes and financial aid options attract a wide array of students in the UK; hence, it remains the one choice to be made in the education market worldwide.
