The UK government's immigration advisers have recommended retaining the graduate visa route, providing relief to Indian students. The visa allows international students to work or seek employment in the UK for two years post-graduation. The report, released on Tuesday, dismissed earlier calls for the abolition of the graduate route visa.
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), responsible for the review, highlighted the absence of substantial evidence indicating abuse of the route. However, concerns were raised regarding the misrepresentation of UK higher education by certain international recruitment agents.
India notably constituted 42% of the 114,000 graduate visas issued in 2023, emerging as the largest demographic availing of the scheme.
The report also sheds light on the adverse impacts of restrictions implemented in January 2024, which have already resulted in a significant decline in international student recruitment for the September 2024 intake. Early statistics indicate a staggering 63% reduction in the number of deposits paid by international postgraduate applicants compared to the previous year, with Indian deposits witnessing a substantial 69% decrease.
To address the concerns raised, the report proposed several recommendations, including the establishment of a mandatory registration system for international recruitment agents, the compulsory publication of data by universities regarding expenditure on recruitment agents and the number of students recruited through such channels, and the provision of the class of degree obtained by students to the home office.
The government has affirmed its commitment to reviewing the recommendations and pledged to respond in due course.
