The government’s much-discussed proposal to eliminate the international graduate visa, which permits students to attend UK universities and remain for at least two years after completing their studies, has been the cause of unease from businesses and universities as well as rumbling divisions within the Conservative party for months. The right wing of his party is putting a lot of pressure on Sunak to abandon the system in order to lower net migration figures, but many cabinet ministers are concerned about the fallout. Numerous reports claim that Sunak will concede.
Why UK universities need international students
Regardless of the specifics of any scaled-back plan, the discussion has brought attention to the industry’s predicament and its need for international students for financial support. According to Rachel Cunliffe in The New Statesman, there is a misconception that foreign students “take” spots from domestic students. International students usually spend up to £38,000, which is two or three times more than that. That’s money that colleges are in dire need of. Non-EU student fees increased to 20% of overall university revenue in a year from 5% in 2000.
Rise of international students in UK universities
The primary objective of a certain government policy was to increase the number of international students. Launched in March 2019, the UK government aimed to increase education exports to £35 billion annually and set a 2030 objective of 600,000 international students studying in the country. The lure has proven effective ever since. According to Jeremy
Are some international students exploiting the system?
Many on the Tory right have that opinion. Former ministers Robert Jenrick and Neil O’Brien urged for the program’s complete elimination and discounted its budgetary and economic benefits in a recent paper for the Centre for Policy Studies. Undoubtedly, Warner asserts, some individuals are utilizing the graduate program “as a backdoor way into the UK jobs market and eventual residency.” It concluded there was no proof of widespread abuse and that it should stay in place because it is essential to the funding of colleges. Also, it discovered that holders of graduate visas quickly secured comparable positions.
Toughened UK government rules to cut immigration
These measures are turning out to be more successful than anticipated in sharply reducing demand. According to the MAC report, as of this month, there were 63% fewer overseas students studying in the UK this autumn than there were a year before. Additional measures being considered are a crackdown on recruitment agencies that promote British degree programs abroad, with sanctions for those who don’t deliver the kind of students they guarantee; obligatory English language testing for students who stay in the UK; and limiting the visa pathway to the 24 research-heavy Russell Group universities. There exist
How bad is the UK university crisis?
Numerous educational institutions are in danger of going bankrupt, which might have disastrous effects on the staff and present students as well as the public, who would soon have to foot the bill for bailouts and rescue packages. A survey released earlier this month by the Office for Students predicted that this year will see 40% of England’s universities incur losses. Reducing the amount of international students would put colleges in “serious financial difficulty” and would even cause some of them to “fail,” according to the MAC assessment.
Why is the education sector in trouble?
The United Kingdom spends comparatively less on higher education than other wealthy OECD nations. Adjusted for purchasing power parity, those nations spent an average of $11,700 in 2019, but the UK only paid $7,000. France ($13,900) and Germany ($15,900) were significantly higher. Lowering the graduation loan repayment threshold or expanding tax subsidies are likely the only viable solutions to the finance conundrum, given the political toxicity of hiking tuition rates. In any case, the Financial Times claims that it is evident that the UK’s finance mechanism is flawed. Additionally
