International students enrolling at universities in the United Kingdom starting this month will have to comply with stricter visa requirements that restrict the number of family members they may bring.
The changes, initiated by former home secretary Suella Braverman to “slash migration and curb abuse of the immigration system” came into effect from Monday, according to the official website of the UK government.
These restrictions primarily impact postgraduate research courses and those with government-funded scholarships.
The UK Home Office anticipates that these changes — intended to prevent the abuse of student visas as a means of obtaining work — will cause about 140,000 fewer people to enter the country.
“The changes, first announced last May, have also seen people banned from using the student visa as a backdoor route to work in the UK and will see an estimated 140,000 fewer people come to the UK,” the website reads.
The UK is set to implement changes to student-dependant rules as part of a broader strategy to reduce the high number of migrants and combat those exploiting the country’s flexible immigration system.
A startling 930% surge in dependent visas since 2019 is shown by official figures.
According to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), by September 2023, 152,980 visas had been granted to dependants of students — a significant increase from 14,839 in September 2019.
The ONS also estimated that net migration was 672,000 from June 2022 to June 2023.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said: “This government is delivering on its commitment to the British public to cut migration.
“We have set out a tough plan to rapidly bring numbers down, control our borders and prevent people from manipulating our immigration system, which will come into force throughout this year.”
He added that the changes will see migration “falling rapidly by the tens of thousands and contribute to our overall strategy to prevent 300,000 people from coming to the UK.”
