London: British Home Secretary Suella Braverman is on a collision course with the UK Department for Education over plans to reduce the period of stay allowed for overseas students on post-study visas, media reported on Wednesday.
The post-graduate visa pathway, which allows foreign graduates – including Indians – to remain job-hunting and gain work experience for up to two years without the requirement of an offer specific job, should be removed as part of Braverman’s proposed review.
According to The Times newspaper, the Indian-born Home Secretary has hatched a plan to ‘reform’ the graduate visa route requiring students to obtain work visas by getting a skilled job or leaving the country. UK after six months. The document refers to leaked advice to say the UK Department for Education (DfE) is trying to block the changes as they fear it will damage the UK’s attractiveness to overseas students.
A government source who supports Braverman’s plan said the graduate visa was increasingly being used by students taking short courses at “less respectable universities”. “It is being used as a devious immigration route,” the newspaper quoted the source as saying. According to government data, Indians overtook Chinese as the largest cohort of overseas students last year and the graduate visa route was dominated by Indians – accounting for 41% of visas granted.
Braverman’s plan is one of several drawn up after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asked the Home Office and the DfE to submit proposals to reduce the number of overseas students coming to the UK. Figures released last week showed there were 6,80,000 overseas students in the UK. pti
The post-graduate visa pathway, which allows foreign graduates – including Indians – to remain job-hunting and gain work experience for up to two years without the requirement of an offer specific job, should be removed as part of Braverman’s proposed review.
According to The Times newspaper, the Indian-born Home Secretary has hatched a plan to ‘reform’ the graduate visa route requiring students to obtain work visas by getting a skilled job or leaving the country. UK after six months. The document refers to leaked advice to say the UK Department for Education (DfE) is trying to block the changes as they fear it will damage the UK’s attractiveness to overseas students.
A government source who supports Braverman’s plan said the graduate visa was increasingly being used by students taking short courses at “less respectable universities”. “It is being used as a devious immigration route,” the newspaper quoted the source as saying. According to government data, Indians overtook Chinese as the largest cohort of overseas students last year and the graduate visa route was dominated by Indians – accounting for 41% of visas granted.
Braverman’s plan is one of several drawn up after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asked the Home Office and the DfE to submit proposals to reduce the number of overseas students coming to the UK. Figures released last week showed there were 6,80,000 overseas students in the UK. pti
