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By Sanaya Jindal
May 25,2023
Suella Braverman | Home Secretary United kingdom (Photo: Reuters)
In a move to reduce immigration numbers, Suella Braverman, the UK Home Secretary, has hastily introduced strict restrictions on international students studying in the country. Under the proposed regulations unveiled in Parliament on Tuesday, overseas students will no longer be able to bring their families with them unless under specific circumstances.
The new rules aim to curb net migration and will only allow dependants to accompany overseas students enrolled in research programs, such as PhD or research-led master's courses. These proposals have been met with strong criticism, with a lecturers' union branding them as "deeply shameful" and anti-migrant, while universities argue that they will disproportionately affect women and students from certain countries.
Recent data shows that Nigeria had the highest number of dependants of student visa holders in 2022, with 60,923, followed by Indian nationals with a significant increase from 3,135 in 2019 to 38,990 in 2022. Students from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka also had a considerable number of dependants.
This development comes as Braverman, who is committed to reducing immigration to "tens of thousands," prepares for the release of figures on Thursday that are expected to reveal net migration to the UK surpassing 700,000.
The opposition party, Labour, has announced that it will not oppose these measures, stating that "proper enforcement" is long overdue. The policy was released through a written ministerial statement while the government was responding to an urgent question regarding allegations that Braverman had instructed officials to organize a private speed-awareness course in violation of the ministerial code. Downing Street has denied claims that a formal inquiry into Braverman's conduct is being delayed by PM Rishi Sunak.
Alongside the restriction on dependants, the proposals also include the removal of the ability for international students to switch from the student route to work routes before completing their studies. The government plans to review the maintenance requirement for students and dependants and crack down on "unscrupulous" education providers who exploit inappropriate applications for immigration purposes instead of focusing on quality education.
Braverman highlighted unexpected growth in the number of dependants arriving in the UK alongside international students. Visa grants for dependants of sponsored students rose eightfold from 16,000 in 2019 to approximately 136,000 in the year ending December 2022.
The changes are set to take effect from January 2024, allowing prospective international students sufficient time to plan accordingly.
Upcoming official statistics, scheduled for publication this week, are expected to reveal a significant increase in net migration from 504,000 in the 12 months to June 2022 to over 700,000 in the year ending December.
Critics argue that the measures, particularly the restrictions on dependants, are vindictive and deeply shameful. Concerns are mounting within the education sector about the potential damage these measures could inflict on the influx of international talent coming to the UK. Universities UK International has called for collaboration between the government and the sector to mitigate and monitor the impact on specific groups of students and universities, which are already facing financial pressures.
Experts suggest that while the impact of limiting family members may be relatively small on the UK as a whole, it will not be evenly distributed. Some students may choose to be separated from their families during their studies, while others may opt not to pursue education in the UK, making the country somewhat less appealing to prospective master's students.
Downing Street has reiterated the Prime Minister's commitment to reducing immigration numbers, pointing out that recent statistics reveal a rise in the number of dependants accompanying international students to the UK.
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