During economic slowdown, when students are finding it difficult to secure seats in foreign universities, the ongoing Graduate Route Visa issue in UK is causing stress on students studying there.
UK has been a top priority for international students due to quality education, advanced technologies, and job security. More than 1.5 lakh Indian students are currently studying in different universities in UK. The students get hugely benefitted from UK government’s Graduate Route Visa or GRV. In this article, we will discuss about the ongoing dilemma about keeping the policy functional.
GRV allows international students to stay and work in the United Kingdom after finishing their studies. It was introduced in July 2021, by the UK government. As per the rules, “a student can remain in the UK for at least two years post-graduation, and three years in case of those with PhD qualifications.”
To be eligible for this visa, “applicants must be in the UK on a Short Term Study Visa or General Student Visa (Tier 4). The applicants will also be required to have their course completion confirmed by their education provider.”
According to the rule, “As long as the visa is valid, graduates can work, freelance, pursue further education, and potentially go for a 'skilled worker' visa in case they get employment in the UK.”
As per latest reports, “In 2023, over 50,000 Indian students benefitted from this policy, making up 44% of all student visa extensions, the highest among all nationalities.”
Needless to say, GRV is one of the most popular among Indian students. Thus, discontinuation of GRV may raise alarm bells for Indian students.
During the admission through international agents, some bad practices were observed in recent times. Thus, UK Home Secretary James Cleverly requested a review of the GRV policy.
Brian Bell, MAC chair, stated, “We have not found evidence of widespread abuse on the Graduate Route, where we define abuse as deliberate non-compliance with immigration rules, and we conclude that the route is not undermining the integrity and quality of the UK higher education system.”
The National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK (NISAU UK), representing Indian students and alumni in the UK, has written a letter to the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to protect the GRV policy.
In the letter, NISAU UK Chair Sanam Arora emphasised “the economic benefits of international students, the role of international graduates in addressing skill shortages, and the enhancement of educational experiences for domestic students.” The committee further stressed upon “these students are highly invested in their UK education and are net positive contributors to the UK.”
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) in UK has recommended the continuation of the GRV policy. The MAC has suggested a “mandatory registration system for international recruitment agents and subagents.”
They advised universities to publish annual data on their expenditure on recruitment agents as well as the number of international students recruited through these ways to enhance transparency.
Additionally, the MAC has recommended the UK government should ask universities to confirm and publish the course outcome, degree classification, along with other requirement.
As per Bell’s findings, “the visa plays an important role in attracting and retaining talented individuals, which in turn benefits the UK economy and academic institutions.”
