British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is planning to restrict student visas as the number of immigrants has increased. The Prime Minister’s spokesperson said that the move is due to the increase in bringing family members along after joining low-quality courses. Many of the British universities are world-class. Support for them will continue. But the position of the Prime Minister’s Office is that universities offering low-quality degrees and courses should be prevented from being used as a means of migration. But they were not ready to define the term ‘low quality degree’. Rishi Sunak’s office said that the operation of the immigration control system will be made more effective.
For the one-year period from June 2021 to June 2022, 540,000 foreigners were part of the British population. Actual migration is calculated by subtracting the number of people who left the UK from the 1.1 million people who immigrated in a year. During 2020–21, net immigration was only 1,73,000. According to the National Statistics Office, this year’s net immigration is 2,77,000 foreign students. Another major factor behind the huge increase in immigration was the issuance of more visas to refugees from Ukraine, Afghanistan and Hong Kong.
Dissension in government
There is strong opposition from within the British government to the move to reduce the number of foreign students. The Department of Finance, Education and Immigration says many British universities will go bankrupt if the number of international students is reduced. Famous universities such as London, Cambridge and Oxford will not have a problem. But it will seriously affect universities in backward areas. These universities are sustained by high fees from foreign students. The Department of Education pointed out that if this income decreases, higher fees will have to be charged from British students.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s position is that immigration is necessary for the country’s economic growth. A long-term plan is needed to reduce the number of immigrants. The finance minister said that this cannot be implemented in the near future.
The National Students Union is also strongly against the decision. The union responded that the move to block foreign students was “ridiculous” given the skills available in Britain. Scotland’s Minister of State for Education, John Swinney, shares the same view. He responded that it was a move to destroy Scotland’s world-class universities.
But Interior Minister Suella Braverman has announced she will stick to the goal of keeping annual immigration below 100,000. Braverman’s position is that preventing foreign students from bringing family members will be a priority. Migration to the UK from Kerala and other states in India, especially through student visas, has increased significantly since the lifting of Covid restrictions. The new move may affect those who have recently taken admission in universities and those who are similarly preparing for migration. Students are very worried about this. India is yet to respond to Rishi Sunak’s move.
Overseas students at UK universities
2020–21 6,05,130
2019–20 5,56,625
2018–19 4,96,110
2017–18 4,69,160
2016–17 4,50,835
Fees charged from foreign students
(at current exchange rate)
2020-21 98,253 crores
2019–20 92,822 crores
2018–19 8,17,63 crores
2017–18 72,776 crores
2016–17 65,469 crores
Rishi Sunak Plans Restrictions On Foreign Students To Control Migration