Foreign students will be able to stay in Britain for two years after receiving a diploma
As reported by BBC, this step reverses a decision made by then-Home Secretary Theresa May in 2012, which forced foreign students to leave the country four months after receiving their diploma. May called the two-year visa that was in effect for graduates before 2012 "too generous," but this led to a reduction in the number of foreign students.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that as a result of the rule change, students will be able to "unlock their potential" and start a career in the UK.
The new rules will come into effect for students starting undergraduate or higher studies from next year. After the two-year visa expires, they can apply for a long-term work visa.
Joseph Johnson, who stepped down as Minister of State for Universities and Science last week, advocated for extending post-study visas. In April, he introduced an amendment to the immigration bill providing for two-year work visas.
There are also those who disagree with this decision: for example, the campaign group Migration Watch called it a "retrograde" step. Its head, Alp Mehmet, believes the decision could lead to a large number of unwanted foreign graduates in the country. However, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is confident that foreign students make a significant cultural and economic contribution, and their presence benefits the country.
Under the new policy, there will be no limit on the number of visas issued to students. They will allow graduates to apply for jobs regardless of their skills or the subject they studied. As the government stated, one of the goals was to attract talented graduates in disciplines such as mathematics, engineering, and technology.
This step was enthusiastically welcomed by the organization "Universities UK," which represents 130 higher education institutions. They are already preparing for a reduction in the number of students from the EU in the event of Brexit.
Alistair Jarvis, chief executive of Universities UK, said that the previous visa regime put the UK at a "competitive disadvantage" in recruiting foreign students. Now, in his opinion, UK universities will become the "first choice of educational institution" for foreign students.
"The evidence shows that foreign students make a significant positive social contribution to the UK, as well as an economic contribution of £26 billion," says Jarvis.
However, Migration Watch head Alp Mehmet said this is an unwise step that will lead to "foreign graduates with diplomas stacking shelves." "Our universities are attracting record numbers of foreign students, so there is no need to devalue the student visa by turning it into a way to get a job here," says Alp Mehmet.
"If you need evidence of a new approach to immigration policy in the government, today's initiative allowing all foreign students to stay in the country for two years after graduation is it," says BBC commentator Mark Easton. "If Theresa May implemented the creation of a hostile environment for migration to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands, then Boris Johnson has promised to abandon that idea and encourage the 'brightest and best' to come, live and work in 'global Britain,'" the commentator believes.
Last year, about 460,000 foreign students studied at UK universities, not including those from the EU. The government intends to increase this number to 600,000 over the next 10 years.