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The British government on Tuesday said it would prevent thousands of international students from bringing family members to the country, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faced mounting political pressure to curb rapidly growing immigration numbers.
Under the new measures, only postgraduate research students will be able to get visas for their dependents, ending a system that allows others, such as master’s courses.
The announcement comes just two days before the release of official figures expected to show that net migration has risen to record levels. Last year it rose to 504,000 – the highest number – in the 12 months between June 2021 and June 2022.
To the shame of the ruling Conservative government, net migration is now significantly higher than before Brexit, which removes the automatic right of citizens of the European Union to work in Britain, a move that is welcomed by most supporters of Britain leaving the bloc. During the referendum on Brexit, supporters promised to “take back control” of the country’s borders, and many supporters of the move expected immigration to fall.
“We have seen an unprecedented increase in the number of student dependents brought into the country on visas,” said home secretary Suella Braverman, adding that the number of dependent visas has increased by 750 percent since 2019, rising to a total of 136,000 people.
It is, he added in a statement, “time for us to tighten this route to ensure that we can cut migration figures and meet the government’s promise to the British people to cut net migration.”
Although Mr Sunak has focused on tackling illegal immigration and stopping the flow of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel from France in small boats, concerns about legal migration are also growing among Conservative MPs themselves. Challenged on the issue last week Mr. Sunak admitted that the number was “too high.”
The immigration issue proved difficult for Ms. Braverman, the home secretary has a hawkish view on the matter. The number increased after Britain’s decision to admit tens of thousands of people fleeing from Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Ukraine, but only part of the increase.
But increasing the limit is difficult at a time when Britain is suffering from labor shortages and rising inflation, and hard-pressed employers have lobbied to expand the number of visas available for hard-to-fill jobs, from health care to fruit picking.
The measures announced on Tuesday are to reduce the number of migrations while limiting the economic impact.
According to government statistics, Nigeria has the highest number of visas for student dependents, 60,923 in 2022, up from 1,586 in 2019. Indian nationals have the second highest number, which is 38,990 from 3,135 in the same period. A total of almost 120,000 dependent visas will be granted in 2022 to the top five nationals, namely Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Other changes announced on Tuesday include a requirement for international students to complete their studies before they can work in the UK. In a related move, Ms. Braverman also promised to be a “rogue education agent,” who, he said, might be selling “immigration not education.” The new restrictions will come into effect in January.
Scholars are now not allowed to bring dependents, and many of those on short courses of less than a year are not counted in migration statistics.
Some critics doubt that the new ban will significantly reduce net migration figures, while others point to the risk of bringing in large numbers of international students.
In a statement Jamie Arrowsmith, director of UK International University, which represents the sector, said the announcement “It provides some clarity for students and the university after months of rumors and speculation; but leaves some questions unanswered.
“Our research shows that international students make a huge economic contribution to the UK, with a single cohort benefiting in total by £41.9 billion,” he said.
“We also know that the public is overwhelmingly in favor of attracting international students – only 9 per cent of people think we should discourage international students from choosing England”
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