An organisation representing Indian students in the UK has launched a campaign advocating for the continuation of the graduate route visa that allows people to work there after their education. The campaign launched on Thursday is called ‘Fair Visa, Fair Chance’.
This graduate route visa allows international graduates to work in the UK for two years after completion of their degrees. The process is under review by the UK government.
The National Indian Students and Alumni Union (Nisau) UK, which initially pushed for the visa enabling international graduates to work for two years after their degree, is concerned that the ongoing review could undo the progress achieved.
UK Home Secretary James Cleverly has tasked the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the Graduate Route visa to ensure it remains “fit for purpose”.
“The ability to work for two years post-graduation helps international students to earn money to help pay for their degrees and enable some to get valuable work experience as well as to continue to build strong links with the UK,” said Lord Karan Bilimoria, Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on International Students and patron of NISAU UK.
According to the reports, if Indian students in the UK are unable to secure a job within six months of graduating, they may have to end their stay. The UK intends to shorten the post-study visa period for foreign students.
ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Bilimoria also cautioned that reducing the Graduate Route could harm Britain, as international students contribute Great British Pound (GBP) 42 billion to the UK economy.
“Britain would be shooting itself in the foot,” said Bilimoria.
“We are in a global race and have to offer post-graduation work opportunities that are attractive in competing with countries, such as the United States of America, Canada, and Australia. The fear of the removal of the two-year post-graduation work visa is sending out unnecessary and damaging negative messages around the world, and universities are already seeing a huge decline in international students’ applications,” he added.
Since the graduate route visa reintroduction for the 2020-21 group of international students, the Home Office of the UK has granted a total of 213,250 visas for the route.
“It is very sad that a mere few years on from the re-introduction of post-study working in the UK, we are having to once again make the case to defend it. The Graduate visa is a key requirement of Indian students and a critical offer of the UK’s international higher education system,” said Sanam Arora, NISAU UK chair and Commissioner of the UK’s International Higher Education Commission.
DEFENCE OF GRADUATE ROUTE VISA
Indians have consistently been the largest group granted leave to remain, accounting for 43% of grants last year, reported PTI.
Arora expressed concern that without this pathway, university finances may collapse, impacting both international and domestic students.
The NISAU UK has been invited to present evidence to MAC and plans to share insights from its annual India-UK Achievers Honours programme.
Recent figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) show a 4% drop in applications from India to British universities.
However, the Home Office pointed to MAC analysis which revealed that the number of international post-graduate students attending institutions with the lowest UCAS entry requirements has increased by over 250% between 2018 and 2022, bringing its mantra of attracting the “brightest and the best” into question.
MAC’s annual report, finalised before the review, was announced in Parliament at the end of last year.
“More fundamentally, we suggest that the government needs to decide what the purpose of the Graduate Route is. If its primary objective is to enhance the offer to international students who choose to study in the UK and so increase the number of international students in higher education, then it appears to have been a resounding success,” MAC said.