Downing Street quietly bowed to pressure last week on sweeping changes it had proposed to the UK’s graduate visa route, leaving the option for international students to remain in the country after completing their studies — for now.
Warned that it had picked the wrong fight and was overlooking the immense value that international graduates bring to the UK’s innovation landscape and overall economy, it instead targeted ‘abuse’ of the visa system as part of the government’s commitment to reducing immigrant numbers.
However, the Migration Advisory Committee’s recent report indicated there is no evidence supporting claims of foreign students abusing the graduate visa system to enter the job market. Despite this, the narrative around limiting these visas persists, with some arguing that the route has limited positive impact....