Most international students will be banned from bringing relatives to the UK as the country looks to curb immigration.
The information was published on the UK Government website on May 23. Accordingly, only international students studying research programs (masters, doctorates) are allowed to bring their relatives with them, instead of everyone as before.
International students will also not be able to convert their student visa to a work visa until they graduate. This change will take effect from January 2024.
The decision comes as the UK has seen a record influx of migrants in recent times, with net migration (the difference between arrivals and departures) rising from just over 500,000 in June 2022 to over 700,000 by the end of last year.
In addition, in 2022, nearly half a million student visas were issued. The number of visas issued to relatives of these international students was 136,000, an increase of 8 times compared to 2019. Of which, Nigeria had the highest number of student visa dependents with nearly 61,000 people. India ranked second with 39,000 people, a sharp increase compared to more than 3,100 in 2019. Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were in the next positions.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said it was time to tighten this to deliver on the Government's commitment to the public to cut net migration and ensure those who migrate to the UK are highly skilled and bring benefits.
“It is fair to better protect public services while also supporting the economy by allowing the students who contribute the most to come here,” Ms Suella said.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said the government also plans to review financial requirements for students and their dependants, and crack down on "rogue training providers who offer unsuitable study programmes that are only selling immigration opportunities, not education ".
The University of Manchester campus, UK. Photo: The University of Manchester
Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, objected to this.
“People who choose to study in the UK, regardless of where they come from, add enormous value to society and deserve the right to live with their loved ones,” she said.
Many experts say the new policy could cause major difficulties for UK universities, as many rely on tuition fees from international students.
Currently, there are about 600,000 international students studying in the UK. Of these, there are about 12,000 Vietnamese students.
Undergraduate tuition fees for international students in the UK are around £13,000-£40,000 (380 million - 1.1 billion VND) per year. In addition, international students need to spend around £300-£700 (8.7-20 million VND) on rent and £300-£500 on monthly expenses.
Despite the high cost, the advantage of studying in the UK is that it takes about 3 years to get a bachelor's degree compared to 4 years in other countries. Similarly, a master's program only lasts one year, instead of two.
Nhat Ha (According to The Guardian, LBC London, OGL)
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