Tightened UK Visa Regulations Aim to Reduce Unauthorised Employment: Braverman

UK minister Suella Braverman said the visa reforms which now restrict postgraduate students from bringing dependents or using their academic status to gain employment will close immigration loopholes and also prevent them from gaining a backdoor to employment opportunities.

In her statement to the House of Commons, UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman on Tuesday outlined the revised policy allowing only international students pursuing postgraduate research programs to bring their family members as dependents, including children and elderly parents.

“The significant rise in students bringing family members is putting untenable pressure on public services. Tightening the student route will help to cut migration by restricting post-graduate students from bringing dependents or using the route as a backdoor to work,” Braverman said in a tweet.

Braverman told the UK parliament that after finding a significant rise in the number of visas granted to dependants of sponsored students, reaching 136,000 in 2022 compared to 16,000 in 2019, her ministry felt that the new measures were needed.

“This package includes: removing the right for international students to bring dependents unless they are on postgraduate courses currently designated as research programmes,” Braverman explained further.

Braverman said that steps will be taken against education agents involved in facilitating inappropriate applications.

The government will also prevent international students from switching to work visas before completing their studies and reviewing the financial requirements for students and their dependents.

She highlighted that the terms of the graduate route where students are allowed to stay in the UK to gain work experience after their studies, remain unchanged.

Braverman said the UK remains “committed to attracting the brightest and the best” and the Sunak-led government wants to work with “universities over the course of the next year to design an alternative approach that ensures that the best and the brightest students can bring dependents to our world-leading universities while continuing to reduce net migration”.

Once the new regulations kick in, starting January 24, the number of postgraduate students who can bring their spouses or children to the UK is expected to reduce drastically.

In terms of study visas granted to the UK, Indians have surpassed the Chinese and now hold the leading nationality. The majority of Indian students obtained visas through the visa program introduced in July 2021. Meanwhile, Nigerian students rank highest in bringing dependents, followed by Indians.

(with inputs from PTI)