UK is cracking down on student visa dependents, plus updates on switching visas

The Rishi Sunak government in the United Kingdom has been trying to curb the migration numbers in the country for a while. And their number one target has been the international students including those from India. In the latest, the UK government has announced a slew of updates to student visas and dependents of international students that are likely to affect many. 

What are the updates?

Suella Braverman, UK Home Secretary announced on May 23 that:

• International students cannot bring any dependents to the country unless they are studying a postgraduate level research program like Ph.D. 

International students need to start speaking up. UK politicians paint a false story as if they were benefitting from public institutions for free.

Most locals don’t know that you & your dependents pay for healthcare, pay taxes & are not entitled to public funds/govt concessions

— Abimbola 🇳🇬 (@AbimTheBaller) May 25, 2023

• Why? According to data, around 1,36,000 visas were granted to dependents of international students, which is a 700 percent rise compared to the numbers in 2019. 

• The second announcement was with regard to the UK student visa. Starting January 2024, international students will no longer be able to switch from a student visa to a skilled worker visa without graduating or completing their courses. 
• Currently, those who go to the UK on a student visa can still switch to the skilled worker visa if they have a job sponsorship without actually completing their course. 
• The skilled worker visa allows people to stay and work in the UK for five years. It can later be used to apply for an extension of visa or permanent residency called ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain). 

The significant rise in students bringing family members is putting untenable pressure on public services.

Tightening the student route will help to cut migration by restricting post-graduate students from bringing dependents or using the route as a backdoor to work. 1/2

— Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) May 24, 2023

• Unlike a student visa or a post-graduate visa, the skilled worker visa is a permanent way for immigration. 
• The UK government said that this route has been misused by some to immigrate to the country. Several people have come to the UK on the pretext of higher education on a student visa, only to drop out within weeks and switch to a skilled worker visa.
• This is one way for those immigrating to the UK to avoid the high academic costs, as they wouldn't have paid the entire tuition fees by then. 
• However, the early switch from a student visa to a skilled worker visa was only introduced recently in December 2022. 
• While more clarity is required on how international students can transition into work, especially through the skilled worker visa route, it seems like students can only make their switch once they have completed their studies or three months before their expected graduation. 
• Other than the skilled worker visa route, international students still have the post graduate work visa to help them stay in the UK with rights to work for up to two to three years. The PSW doesn't require any visa sponsorship. 

University of Warwick's information on switching visas said this before the December 2022 change. This could still be changed:

• Usually, it is not advised that people going to the UK to study drop out and start working even if they are offered sponsored jobs, as most likely these jobs can be low paying where their actual skills may not be utilised.
• And it is also not a great option for those who have already paid their university tuition fees in full. 

[ALSO READ: 9 countries tough to get a visa for Indians]

What's the reaction of UK universities to the announcements? 

Universities UK International, a collective of 140 universities in the UK, welcomed the clarity after several months of nervous speculation that the post-graduate work visa period could be cut from the current 2-3 years to just 6 months. 

• The PSW is an attractive offer for potential international students and raises the demand. Universities had argued that doing away with it can drive away international students who can instead opt for countries like Australia and Canada. 

But with regards to the ban on international students bringing their dependents for most courses, the collective had this to say:

On the other hand, several UK University Vice Chancellors have been warning the government that the current funding system is broken. Under the current system, most UK universities cannot charge more than 9,250 GBP (Rs 9,54,473) for domestic students, making them dependent on the fees from international students who pay more.   

[ALSO READ: Australian universities ban Indian students from 6 states, UT to keep fraud visas out]