British unis oppose visa ban, say foreign students help sustain varsity system
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
British universities are against the visa ban imposed by London on the dependants of from students, saying its aim of controlling immigration will backfire as foreign students and their relatives contribute nearly £42 billion to the economy per session.
The ban announced on May 23 will take effect from January 2024.
Universities United Kingdom International (UUK) Director Jamie Arrowsmith said the body of universities argue the plan will worsen the financial pressure on universities in a country known as a top destination for international students.
“International students make an invaluable contribution to our universities and to the UK’s economy. Building on the government’s explicit commitments and ambitions, which were clearly set out in the international education strategy, we have seen significant growth since 2019,” Arrowsmith stressed in a statement.
“Our research shows that international students make a huge economic contribution to the UK, with a single cohort delivering a total benefit of £41.9 billion.
“We also know that the public is overwhelmingly supportive of the international students we attract – just nine per cent of people think we should be discouraging international students from choosing the UK.”
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Exploring other ways of immigration control
Arrowsmith said he understands the impact an unchecked influx of immigrants may have in some areas but urged London to explore other ways of curbing immigration that would not cripple an already weakened financial situation for universities, according to reporting by Nairametrics.
“While the vast majority of students will be unaffected by proposals that limit the ability to be accompanied by dependents, more information is needed on the programmes that are in scope before a proper assessment of the impact can be made.
“We, therefore, urge the government to work with the sector to limit and monitor the impact on particular groups of students – and on universities, which are already under serious financial pressures. The review process that has been announced must consider these issues.”
“Ultimately, our collective aim must be to ensure that international students who choose the UK can be confident that they are welcome here, that their contribution is valued, and that the terms on which they have made decisions remain stable.
“Anything that threatens to affect the UK’s global success as a top destination for international talent needs to be considered very carefully.’’
Reason for ban
The government explained foreign students will no longer be able to bring dependants with them unless they are on postgraduate courses currently designated as research programmes.
London also removed the ability for international students to switch out of the student route and into work route before they complete their studies, so as “to prevent misuse of the visa system.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who faces a general election in 2024, has promised to reduce legal immigration that hit a record 606,000 in 2022, putting pressure on the government which had pledged to cut dependence on foreign labour to create jobs for locals.
MP criticises policy
A Member of Parliament (MP), Carol Monaghan – of the Scottish National Party (SNP) – also condemned the new immigration policy, per reporting by Vanguard.
Monaghan said foreign students and their families make valuable contributions to the UK, having contributed £40 billion to the economy in 2022, as well as enriching
the UK society with skills that are useful across key sectors.
“With labour shortages in healthcare, STEM, IT, to name a few,” Monaghan stressed, “how can the Minister fail to recognise that this policy will aggravate these?
“I’d like to ask the minister, what assessments have been carried out on the economic impact of this change on the university sector?
“The reality is that many students who come into the UK look beyond their studies and want their families to be part of their experience.
“Without a way for overseas students to bring their families, many will opt to go elsewhere and any drop in international students numbers will cause further harm to universities that are already facing financial difficulties.”
