The recent announcement by some of the UK parliamentarians regarding the restriction of immigration of dependents starting January 2024 has not only brought shock to international students but also caused disgruntlement among the leading education providers in the United Kingdom. According to the BBC report, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the ascent in dependants being allowed visas was "extraordinary," and it was "the ideal opportunity for us to straighten out this course to guarantee we can cut relocation numbers". Under recommendations delivered in parliament on Tuesday, abroad understudies can carry families with them under unambiguous conditions as the public authority looks to diminish migration numbers. Starting January 2024, global understudies won't be allowed to carry relatives with them while they concentrate in the UK - except if they are concentrating on postgraduate exploration courses (e.g., research-based PhDs and examination-based expert projects). Global understudies in postgraduate courses that are not assigned as examination arranged won't be allowed to bring dependants. Moreover, students will not be granted a Skilled Worker Visa until the completion of their studies.
This move is going to be enforced as the expected foreign immigrants have crossed the limit of 600,000 which was targeted for two years. As per the statistics released by the government, about 700,000 immigrants have already entered the UK with different visa opportunities since June 2022. As per HESA, schooling information bunch, there were 679,970 worldwide understudies in the UK in 2021/2022. Of these 307,470 were students, who as of now can't carry relatives to the UK during their course. There were 372,500 postgraduates, of whom 46,350 are on research courses - by far most of them for PhDs, alongside few examination-based aces degrees. Understudies coming to the UK with a visa need to give reports demonstrating their relationship to dependants, who need to pay £490 for a visa. Dependants are additionally expected to pay the movement wellbeing overcharge - a yearly commitment somewhere in the range of £470 and £624 towards NHS administrations.
According to The Guardian news, Nigeria had the largest number of dependants of understudy visa holders in 2022, with 60,923. Indian nationals had the second largest number of dependants, with a rapid increment from 3,135 in 2019 to 38,990 in 2022, trailed by understudies from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. These countries make up the highest number of immigrants in the country.
The natives have also been proposing the immigration curb in the country as problems began to surface related to economic degradation in the country. It has been also reported that due to the unchecked number of immigrants into the UK, there has been a rapid rise in unemployment, housing, and other societal issues. It is believed the issues have become tougher with the rampant immigration into the country.
Who is going to affect by the new move?
Not every international student to study abroad is implied in the proposal. The measure strictly adheres to undergraduate and one-year master's courses only. Students who are undergoing and planning to take research-based master's and Ph.D. courses will be exempted from the rules.
