A UK-based Indian student representative organization, NISAU, has launched a “Fair Visa, Fair Chance” campaign to support the post-study Graduate Route visa. This visa has been popular among Indian students allowing them to gain work experience for two years after completing their degree. NISAU is concerned about the current review of the visa that could reverse the progress made so far.
The UK Home Secretary James Cleverly has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the Graduate Route visa, which is expected to be reported by next month. The two-year post-graduation work visa helps international students earn money, gain work experience, and build strong links with the UK, making it competitive with countries like the US, Canada, and Australia. Lord Karan Bilimoria has warned that curbing the Graduate Route visa would be detrimental, as international students contribute GBP 42 billion to the UK economy.
In the 2020-21 academic year, 213,250 visas were granted under the post-study work route, with Indians making up the largest group of students at 43%. The Graduate visa is essential for Indian students and the UK’s international higher education system, says Sanam Arora, NISAU UK chair. Without it, university finances may collapse, impacting both international and domestic students, as UK universities heavily rely on the cross-subsidy from international students to fund world-class research.
NISAU UK will present evidence to MAC, sharing its research and learnings from the India-UK Achievers Honours programme. Indian students are showing signs of being turned off from applying to British universities, with a four per cent drop in applications from India. However, the Home Office pointed to MAC analysis revealing that the number of international post-graduate students attending institutions with the lowest UCAS entry requirements has increased by over 250 per cent between 2018 and 2022.
The annual report of MAC questions the objective of the UK government’s Graduate Route. If it aims to boost the number of international students in higher education in the UK, it is a success. However, if the objective is to attract talented students into high-skilled graduate jobs, then the report suggests that it adds little to the Skilled Worker route.
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