Crackdown on visas will send international students packing

If the current visa system is scrapped, tens of thousands of non-EU students will be forbidden to stay in the UK to seek work after graduation. Photo: Sarah Noorbakhsh

The government has been defending its plans to introduce tougher restrictions on students coming to study in the UK. The current student visa system allows non-EU students to work in the UK for up to two years after completing their studies. Immigration Minister Damian Green is looking to reform the current system as part of the government’s drive to bring immigration numbers down.

Immigration Minister Damian Green said the current system is “too generous” and contributes to the unemployment rate among domestic students.

He said the competition from foreign students risked discouraging British youth from going to university and has proposed new restrictions to create a “proper, fair playing field for British graduates.”

Graduate unemployment hit a 15-year high last week, with a fifth out of work, according to data from the Office of National Statistics.

At a London conference, Mr Green said international graduates would only be allowed to remain in the country if they had obtained an offer of a skilled job with an approved employer. Students may also face tougher tests to ensure their mastery of the English language and be forced to prove academic progression if they want to continue with their studies.

He argued that cutting down the number of non-EU students entering the UK was vital to stop widespread abuses of the system where people use false courses as a way into the country. Green used an example of a survey conducted last year in New Delhi which revealed that more than a third of student visas approved by colleges recruiting in India were based on forged documents.

If the current system is scrapped, this means tens of thousands of non-EU students will be forced to return home after finishing their studies.

“I believe attracting talented students from abroad is vital to the UK, but we must be more selective about who can come here and how long they can stay,” Green said.

There have been no announcements as to when these restrictions will be implemented as of yet.