New visa will help Indian students ‘secure UK status’
GUIDANCE FOR GRADUATE ROUTE LAID OUT TO ATTRACT ‘WORLD’S BRIGHTEST TALENT’
FOREIGN students from India are among those who are likely to benefit from a new post-study work visa that offers applicants the chance to remain in the UK for work experience after completing their course, officials said.
Applications for the graduate route visa will open from July 1, the UK government said last Thursday (4).
Announced last year by home secretary Priti Patel as part of the post-Brexit pointsbased immigration regime, the visa will apply to the 2020-2021 academic cohort of international students.
Kevin Foster, the minister for future borders and immigration, said, “As we rebuild from the global pandemic, we want the world’s brightest talent who aspire to a career at the highest levels of business, science, the arts and technology, to see the UK as the natural place to fulfil their aspirations.
“The changes announced today will ensure once they have received a gold standard qualification from one of our worldleading education institutions, they can easily secure the status they need to continue living, working and fulfilling their dreams in the UK.”
Students who began their studies in January or February 2021 will need to be in the UK by September 27, officials added.
“The UK is committed to supporting thousands of Indian students in their dreams to pursue a world-class UK education and post study employment opportunities. Given the pandemic travel restrictions, these new timelines to reach the UK will help ensure international students are able to benefit from the Graduate Route and gain international work experience,” said Barbara Wickham, director of the British Council in India. “Indian students are encouraged to reach out to their universities and seek regular guidance on blended learning, recommended time to travel to the UK, and on any other support required on campus.”
In order to apply under the new graduate route, international students must have completed an eligible course at a recognised UK higher education provider at undergraduate or higher level.
Students on the route will be able to work or look for work after their studies for a maximum period of two years, or three years for doctoral PhD students.
The graduate route is unsponsored, meaning applicants will not need a job offer to apply for the route. There will be no minimum salary requirements or caps on numbers, which the Home Office said would allow graduates on the route to work flexibly, switch jobs and develop their career as required.
“We campaigned for this for more than six years, and this was a commitment we made to our Indian student community, which we are overjoyed to have been able to deliver,” said Sanam Arora, chair of the National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK (NISAU-UK), a representative group for Indian students in the UK.
Statistics show that the number of student visas issued to Indians increased by 42 per cent compared to the previous year, and now numbers more than 53,000.
This represents 23 per cent of all student visas issued by the UK – up from 13 per cent in the previous year – making Indian students among the largest international groups studying in Britain.
The new route is part of the UK government’s International Education Strategy, aimed at increasing the number of international students in higher education in the UK to 600,000 by 2030.