As per a report issued by the British government, the Indian graduates-dominated post-study visa programme is helping the UK recover from financial losses on the domestic front. Launched in July 2021, the Graduate Route visa allows international students to stay in the UK for up to two years after their course completion. The relatively new visa programme, however, was put under review by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to understand if it should remain or be shelved. This move has led to uncertainty among international students and has even caused a significant drop in applications to UK universities.
Indians Dominate UK’s Post-Study Visa Route
In a recent report issued by the British government, the Graduate Route visa is helping the UK make up for its domestic financial losses. And this post-study visa route is dominated by Indian graduates! Not just that, the report also found that these students are also helping expand the UK’s research landscape.
The report was issued by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). This independent committee was set up by UK Home Secretary James Cleverly to undertake a rapid review of the Graduate Route visa. The government wanted to understand if this visa programme should stay or be shelved.
In 2021, the UK launched the Graduate Route visa that allowed international students time to look for work and gain work experience after the completion of their studies. This post-study visa route gave international students up to two years (three years for PhD graduates) for this. The report found that 89,200 visas issued between 2021 and 2023, nearly 42% of the overall grants, were for Indian students.
The MAC report suggests that the UK government should continue the post-study visa programme. MAC Chair Professor, Brian Bell said, “Our review recommends the Graduate Route should remain as it is and is not undermining the quality and integrity of the UK’s higher education system.”
He further mentioned that the fees paid by international students help pay “universities to cover the losses they make in teaching British students and doing research.”
Uncertainty Around The Graduate Route Visa
Besides Indians, Nigerians, Chinese, and Pakistanis make up the largest number of students who apply for the UK’s post-study visa route. However, there is a significant drop in the number of applications to UK universities from India amid the uncertainty around this visa programme. According to reports, applications from India fell to 8,770, a drop of 4% this year, as compared to 2023.
The MAC further found that Graduate Route visa holders often start with lower-paid jobs. After their wages improve, they switch to Skilled Worker visas. As for now, the British government has said that they are considering the MAC review’s findings “very closely” and will disclose their next course of action soon.
What are your thoughts on this review? Let us know in the comments.
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