For the last 3 to 4 years, UK has become one of the popular study abroad destinations for international students. One year masters and a two year graduate visa upon successful completion made UK a favorable choice for a lot of students, and along with that the option to bring along dependents was convenient for individuals with families.
However, a lot has changed in the past 6 months (as of writing this article). It’s no longer possible to bring along dependents unless the student is enrolled in a research degree at doctorate level. Visa fees, NHS fees, combined has been increased by more than 50%. The minimum salary requirement for a sponsored visa has been more than doubled to £38,000 per year. Even before these changes were introduced, getting a full time job was difficult for international students. These changes only made it worse.
As an international student myself, I experienced first hand how hard it is to find a job in UK right now. Even surviving day to day with a part time job has become difficult. From the people in my network, I found that a few people who had previous working experience in the relevant field were able to find a full time job on graduate visa. This was before the new visa rules came into effect. Students without any experience though are struggling hard to find employment. Big firms and companies which used to hire international students are also backing down because of the increase in minimum salary requirement.
All these changes had some ripple effects that are being observed across different industries. Below is a list of information bites that might give an understanding for someone who is trying to assess whether it’s worth going to UK for post-graduate studies.
10 Aug 2024
English universities face autumn ‘tipping point’ as financial crisis looms
Universities in England face a “tipping point” this autumn engulfing some of them in financial crisis, according to vice-chancellors, who say urgent government intervention may be needed to stop institutions from going under.
David Maguire, vice-chancellor of the University of East Anglia, said that with international student recruitment falling sharply, universities were having to “aggressively” recruit more UK undergraduates in the clearing admissions process.
Sector leaders who spoke to the Guardian said that, until improved long-term funding was secured, the most likely short-term solutions included mergers between institutions, and reorganisations such as pruning departments.
English universities face autumn ‘tipping point’ as financial crisis looms, The Guardian
09 Aug 2024
Indians lead UK university recruitment stats as overall migration falls
Indians have been topping the foreign students tally at UK universities for some time now and the latest enrolment statistics from last year (2023) reaffirms this lead, even as overall migration to Britain registers a downward trend as a result of tighter visa norms.
According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data released on Thursday, India sent more students to the UK than any other overseas country in 2022-23 and accounted for 26 per cent of all students from outside the European Union (EU).
Indians lead UK university recruitment stats as overall migration falls, Press Trust of India
09 Aug 2024
UK minimum income hike cuts healthcare visas by 81%, Indians hit hard
The number of people applying for UK visas to work in the healthcare sector plummeted by 81% between April and July 2024, after the British government, under former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, made it more challenging for health and care workers to bring in their families.
Indians were the second-highest group under the Family Visa category in 2023, with 5,248 visas issued, following Pakistanis and ahead of Bangladeshis.
The number of Health and Care Worker visa applications from main applicants surged from 4,100 to 18,300 between February 2022 and August 2023, after care workers were added to the skilled worker visa category. However, applications dropped to 2,900 by July 2024 following the rule changes.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government has now paused plans to further increase the minimum income requirement for sponsoring a family member on a family visa.
UK minimum income hike cuts healthcare visas by 81% Indians hit hard, India Today
06 Aug 2024
UK anti-immigrant protests raise alarm for Indian students
Indian students in the UK and those arriving this year are worried by a sharp escalation in anti-immigrant protests in the island nation, engulfed in one of the worst riots in 13 years.
India on Tuesday (Aug 06, 2024) issued a travel advisory for its citizens traveling to the UK, urging them to exercise caution following a wave of violent protests in several British cities.
Study abroad platforms like Leverage.biz, Collegify, iSchoolConnect, and AECC Global have been busy attending to panic calls and queries about the unfolding scenario in the UK since last week. These are not only from existing Indian students in the UK, but also from the fresh cohort slated to begin studies this year.
UK anti-immigrant protests raise alarm for Indian students, Economic Times
29 July 2024
UK university crisis is just getting started
About 40% of higher-education providers, or 108 out of 269, expect to be in deficit in the current university financial year ending July 31, according to a May financial-sustainability report by the Office for Students, which regulates the sector.
The report modeled a series of gloomier scenarios than the forecasts provided by universities, which it described as too optimistic. In the bleakest, overseas entrants were seen dropping 61% by 2026-27 compared with the year ending Wednesday. That would reduce the sector’s annual net income by a cool £9.7 billion and push 226 institutions, or 84% of the total, into deficit. Even in the mildest scenario, which posited no growth in overall student numbers through 2026-27, net income was seen falling £3.4 billion with 176 providers sinking into deficit.
UK university crisis is just getting started, Economic Times
13 May 2024
UK universities report drop in international students amid visa doubts
Universities are reporting a steep drop in international students applying to come to the UK, amid warnings that further restrictions on student visas would torpedo a vital flow of talent for Britain’s creative industries.
The poll of 75 institutions by the British Universities’ International Liaison Association found that nine out of 10 had fewer international applications for the next academic year, and there had been a 27% fall in total applications for taught postgraduate courses compared with last year.
Creative UK, which represents the creative industries, says removing the ability for international students to stay and work in the UK after graduation would be a powerful disincentive to study here, damaging a sector worth £108bn a year.
UK universities report drop in international students amid visa doubts, The Guardian
24 April 2024
KPMG UK cancels foreign graduate job offers after tighter visa rules
Depending on region and business line, the Big Four — Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC — typically pay first-year graduates between £25,000 and £35,000 in the UK, meaning they are directly affected by the new visa rules.
With the exception of junior actuaries, KPMG has stopped hiring overseas graduates who need skilled worker visas outside of London as a result of the changes to the eligibility rules.
KPMG UK cancels foreign graduate job offers after tighter visa rules, Simon Foy, Financial Times
11 April 2024
Changes to legal migration rules for family and work visas in 2024
What are the five changes?
Changes to legal migration rules for family and work visas in 2024, CJ McKinney, Melanie Gower, Research Briefing, House of Common Library
1. Social care workers are no longer allowed to bring dependants (that is, partners and children) on their visa.
2. The baseline minimum salary to be sponsored for a Skilled Worker visa has increased from £26,200 to £38,700, while the ‘going rate’ minimum salary specific to each job has also gone up significantly.
3. A list of jobs for which it is possible to sponsor someone for a Skilled Worker visa at a reduced minimum salary has been made shorter and renamed the Immigration Salary List.
4. The minimum income normally required to sponsor someone for a spouse/partner visa has risen from £18,600 to to £29,000.
5. The Graduate visa, a two-year unsponsored work permit for overseas graduates of British universities, is being reviewed.
05 April 2024
Swansea University cuts nearly 200 jobs amid financial difficulties
The institution confirmed 189 employees had volunteered for redundancy since a scheme opened in September.
The cuts come as an academic called on the Welsh government to review higher education funding.
Prof Dylan Jones-Evans said there was an over-reliance on recruiting foreign students, who pay higher fees.
He said that was compounding a difficult financial situation for universities.
“There have been changes to the visa system and there are less foreign students coming to Wales,” Prof Jones-Evans told Newyddion S4C.
Swansea University cuts nearly 200 jobs amid financial difficulties, Gwyn Loader, BBC
31 March 2024
…a funding crisis for universities…
Sunak’s willingness to clamp down on international student numbers coincides with what one expert called a funding crisis for universities that could undermine the entire sector.
At the last general election, the Conservative party under Boris Johnson claimed it would “maintain and strengthen our global position in higher education”. The manifesto’s immigration section pledged: “Our student visa will help universities attract talented young people and allow those students to stay on to apply for work here after they graduate.”
But the political climate around immigration has changed dramatically. By the end of last year, James Cleverly, the home secretary, was declaring that “enough is enough” and announcing plans to review post-study work visas, which allow international graduates to stay and work in the UK for two years.
Sunak posted on social media: “Immigration is too high. Today we’re taking radical action to bring it down,” including by “banning overseas students from bringing their families to the UK”.
Sunak’s student visas clampdown continues boom-and-bust pattern, Richard Adams, Education Editor, The Guardian
28 Jan 2024
Major blow to UK universities: The decline of international students
University officials are sounding the alarm over the decline in international student applications, particularly from those who contribute significantly to finances through higher tuition fees. This decline threatens financial stability as universities typically rely on the revenue from these students to subsidize the cost of educating domestic students, with institutions like the University of Lincoln slashing spending by 20%. This precarious situation is underscored by the University of York’s reported £24 million deficit and a concerning 16% drop in international student enrollment, highlighting the broader financial challenges faced by universities, as reported by the Financial Times and BBC News.
Major blow to UK universities: The decline of international students, Benjamin Laker, Forbes
11 Jan 2024
University of York to accept some overseas students with lower grades
The University of York has told staff to take a “more flexible approach” to admitting overseas students with lower-than-expected grades, in the latest sign that UK higher education is facing severe recruitment and financial pressures.
Staff at the Russell Group university were told: “In response to the current financial challenges, the university has decided to lower its tariff for all departments and programmes for overseas applicants,” according to an email reported by the Financial Times.
While York maintains that a typical offer for undergraduate applicants requires A grades at A-level, the university will now admit some international applicants as undergraduates with the equivalent of B or C at A-level, while entry to postgraduate courses would require a 2:2 award or similar, rather than a 2:1.
University of York to accept some overseas students with lower grades, Richard Adams, Education Editor, The Guardian