UK shuts off Dependants on Student Visa

In recent news, the UK government stated new rules for international students in UK. The news of shutting off international students from bringing dependents on student visas has become a highlight. The policy is set to come into effect from January 2024 but is already doing rounds on the internet.

As per the new rules for international students in UK, dependants can no longer travel on student visas. UK student dependant visa new rules will come into effect by next year but are already doing rounds on the internet. However, this will not apply to the students enrolled in postgraduate courses in research programmes. They have the leverage to bring their family members including children and elderly parents as their dependants. This UK student visa news has become the talk of the town and has captured the attention of not only students but universities as well.

UK government home secretary, Suella Braverman in a written statement, revealed “ removing the right for international students to bring dependants unless they are on postgraduate courses currently designated as research programmes.” 

UK student dependent visa new rules further state that students will no longer have the leverage of switching from a student visa to a work visa before finishing their studies. As per the home office, “almost half a million student visas were issued while the number of dependants of overseas students has increased from 13,664 in 2019, to 136,000 people which shows an increase of almost 750%.  

The agenda of introducing this policy is to reduce the number of immigrants to the UK to safeguard the public services of the nation. Ms. Braverman further stated, “We expect this package to have a tangible impact on net migration and is the fair thing to do to allow us to better protect our public services while supporting the economy by allowing the students who contribute the most to keep coming here.”

Adding to it Education Secretary Gillian Keegan stated, “The number of family members being brought to the UK by students has risen significantly. It is right we are taking action to reduce this number while maintaining a commitment to our International Education Strategy, which continues to enrich the UK’s education sector and make a significant contribution to the wider economy.”

One thing is for sure this UK student visa news is a major step towards restricting the movement of unscrupulous education agents. After the UK’s exit from the EU, the government introduced a points-based immigration system to ensure that the nation attracts the right skills and talent that will uplift the UK businesses and the NHS. 

Recently the Director of Universities UK International (UUKi) (the representative body for 140 UK universities) Jamie Arrowsmith, issued a statement, citing "While the vast majority of students will be unaffected by proposals that limit the ability to be accompanied by dependants, more information is needed on the programmes that are in scope before a proper assessment of the impact can be made."

However, the government has ensured that its International Education Strategy stays intact including meeting the target to host 600,000 international higher education students studying in the UK each year by 2030, for two years running.