International master’s students are banned to bring their parents to the UK

International master’s students are banned to bring their parents to the UK

On 23 May 2023, the UK Government confirmed that International students who will be pursuing master’s courses in the UK from January 2024 will be banned from bringing family members with them as dependents.

According to rules set by the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, only students pursuing postgraduate degrees currently designated as research programs, which also includes PhD students, will be able to bring dependents. 

This is a temporary measure while the government finalizes an alternate approach that will ensure that only the best and the brightest students will be able to bring dependents to world-leading universities in the UK while continuing to reduce net migration. These changes will come into effect for students who are starting courses from January 2024.

Previously, there have been reports indicating that students studying at top-ranking universities or pursuing “high-value” courses would be granted the privilege to bring their dependents along with them. However, there has been a discussion going on regarding the challenges involved in implementing a merit-based approach.

Following a rising trend of newly-arrived students dropping out of university to work in the care sector, international students are no longer able to switch from a study visa to a work visa before completing their course.

Additionally, there have been measures announced to address the issue of “unscrupulous education agents” who prioritize selling immigration opportunities rather than providing quality education. However, the government has not yet disclosed specific details regarding these policy changes.

The graduate route, which allows international students to stay and work in the UK once they graduate, remains unchanged. 

The rules have been implemented in advance of the upcoming release of the latest net migration figures, scheduled on Thursday. These figures are expected to reveal a significant increase in migration, despite the government’s commitments to decrease it.

In a written statement, Braverman said that the International Education Strategy plays an important role in supporting the economy through the economic contributions that students make to the UK. However, it is crucial that this objective does not compromise the commitment made to the public to reduce overall migration and ensure that migration to the UK is primarily comprised of highly skilled individuals, thereby providing more benefits. 

According to last week’s research, international students contributed £41.9 billion to the UK’s economy in the academic year 2021/22.

This new policy effectively keeps a balance between addressing net migration and safeguarding the economic advantages that students can contribute to the UK. Whereas Jamie Arrowsmith, director of Universities UK International, said the changes would have a disproportionate impact on women and students from certain countries. He added that the announcement provided some clarity for students and universities but still leaves some questions unanswered.

The increase in the number of dependent visas has been significant and may have exceeded the government’s initial expectations. This has created local difficulties in terms of accessing suitable family accommodation and schooling, which may affect the student’s experience.

According to Jamie Arrowsmith, it may be reasonable to consider implementing targeted measures to address this growth. For instance, looking at eligibility criteria for specific types of courses, such as one-year taught postgraduate programs, or strengthening the financial assurances that prospective students are required to provide. 

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Have a look on the following.

Big change in dependent visa of family member of student in United Kingdom from Jan 24.Listen detail – YouTube

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