The UK saw record immigration rates with half a million people between June 2021 and June 2022, and new figures are expected to be revealed this week, continuing the upward trend.
And while UK universities attract thousands of overseas students each year, visa restrictions will ‘significantly reduce’ the number of immigrants by ‘reducing the ability of overseas students to bring family members with them’ , according to a government statement.
What new measures will be put in place in January?
Only postgraduate students in research programs, i.e. those normally lasting more than two years, will be able to bring their family members. Students will not be able to obtain a work visa instead of a student visa before completing their studies. The government has pledged to act against “unscrupulous agents” who exploit student visas as a means of immigration.
How did the government comment on the decision?
“We have seen an unprecedented increase in the number of dependent students arriving in the country on visas,” said Home Secretary Soila Braverman.
- She said the new measures ensure a “fair balance” and allow “in the medium term” the return of immigration rates to Britain to pre-pandemic levels.
Immigration was at the center of the campaign that led to Britain’s vote to leave the European Union in 2016, but the Conservatives who came to power failed to reduce immigration levels regular and irregular immigration.
As the government seeks to reduce the number of immigrants, the country has faced a shortage of workers since Brexit, particularly in the fields of agriculture and health.
- Sunak recently acknowledged the need to issue tens of thousands of seasonal visas to compensate for the shortage in agriculture, in a position that contradicts Braverman’s opinion.
Addressing a conference of ultra-conservatives, Braverman said she saw no reason why “the UK shouldn’t be able to equip itself with lorry drivers and fruit pickers to reduce the ‘immigration”.
According to official figures, authorities issued around 136,000 student visas in 2022, compared to 16,000 in 2019.
university concerns
The measures have alarmed prestigious universities, which fear losing an important source of revenue, as foreign students often pay exorbitant tuition fees to enroll. The Russell Group, which represents academic institutions such as Cambridge and Oxford, said government measures could affect efforts to “diversify” international students. “Those who choose to study in Britain bring with them significant value to our society and deserve to live alongside their loved ones during their studies,” said Joe Grady, General Secretary of the Higher Education Union. “Instead, they are treated with contempt.”
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