UK student visas: ministers urged to give clarity on dependants

The UK government has been urged to provide clarity on international student visas, amid reports that it is finalising proposals to block dependants from joining overseas master’s students.

With a general election looming, ministers hope their plans to curb some migration numbers linked to international students will help reduce the record levels of migration seen last year.

The government is finalising a plan that would stop dependants from travelling with master’s students on one-year courses, according to a report in the Financial Times.

The move might be a direct response to figures released last year that showed a tripling in the number of visas issued to students’ family members, with 70 per cent of all dependants coming from Nigeria and India.

Jamie Arrowsmith, director of Universities UK International (UUKi), said he recognised that this growth “may have exceeded planning assumptions” and created concerns in some parts of the UK, particularly around access to suitable family accommodation.

“We are committed to working with government to understand these issues and to find solutions that ensure the UK continues to welcome international students, and that we are able to grow numbers in a sustainable way that protects both the quality of the student experience and the UK’s global competitiveness,” he added.

Unlike previous proposals on international students, this one is said to have received cross-government backing, winning the approval of the Department for Education, the Home Office and the Treasury.

“Many of these courses only last for nine months. We don’t think this will have a big effect on our ability to attract global talent,” one official told the FT.

The Conservatives might be seeking to gain an electoral boost by tackling immigration, where students are one factor in a post-pandemic surge in numbers.

This growth in international student numbers can also be linked to the government’s own International Education Strategy (IES), which has already surpassed its target of enrolling 600,000 overseas students annually by 2030.

The government has allowed graduates to work in the UK for two or three years after completing their studies by introducing the graduate visa route, which Mr Arrowsmith said helped to contribute “much-needed skills and expertise to our workforce”.

“International students need clarity and certainty over visa policy, so we call on the government to recommit to the ambitions set out in the IES to deliver stable and managed growth over the long term, and to maintaining [the] graduate route,” he said.

Both were “central to the UK’s attractiveness to prospective students and our reputation as a global leader in international higher education”, he added.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) had previously said there were many factors behind the record net migration of 504,000 to the UK in the year to June 2022, including people fleeing Ukraine and the new visa route for Hong Kong British nationals.

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com