December 3rd, 2022 at 07:13 am
BAD NEWS || UK TO CUT DOWN STUDENT AND DEPENDANT VISA
Many international students have been hit with this bad and unexpected news from the UK. However, NewsNowGh through this publication expatiates on these reforms and also suggests suitable ways international students can still have their higher education in the UK.
WHY UK LOOKING TO CUT DOWN ON STUDENT AND DEPENDENT VISA?
According to the UK Home Secretary, Sula Braverman, the UK has experienced a drastic rise in the number of dependents international students bring with them to the UK. These numbers have increased 5 times just in a calendar year. The UK, therefore, seeks to reduce the net migration per year.
The recent UK reports suggested that net migration climbs to half a million with about 504,000 people more people estimated to have moved to the UK in the last 12 months as of June 2022. This represents a sharp increase from the 173,000 recorded in June 2021.
The number of dependents who accompanied students to the universities also tripled just within a year. Health, education, and other public services are under stress as a result of the rate of migration.
LATEST REPORTS PUBLISHED BY THE UK SO FAR
There have been various articles published so far on this new implementation after this was officially communicated on 24th November. A summary of these updates is that UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sona is considering putting barriers for foreign students taking low-quality degrees and bringing dependence. This is a bid to reduce net migration.
This means international students will only be allowed into the UK upon getting admission to any of the UK’s top universities. Admission to low-ranking universities in the UK won’t attract a UK student and student dependence visa.
There will as well be restrictions on how many family members these students will be able to bring with them to the UK with them. This criterion is only for Master’s and Ph.D. students since undergraduates are not entitled to travel to the UK with a dependent.
WHAT TO DO RIGHT AWAY
Despite the above latest reports on the new policies to be implemented by the UK, there is still the opportunity for international students. International students can gain admission into the UK before the implementation of these policies by following the steps below;
- Students planning to study in the UK should apply as early as possible so as not to be impacted by these new rules.
- There is likely to be a massive increase in tuition fees as the universities will try to compensate for the less student intake
- Target the top 20 or 30 universities in the UK with your applications
- Consider the UK shortage occupation list in addition to your application to guide your course selection
If you are looking to visit the UK via a study route, you should definitely pay attention to these updates with NewsNowGh on UK’s new reforms.