Scotland Parliament Frown Against UK’s New International Students Visa Policy
The British government’s new visa policy for international students has drawn criticism from Carol Monaghan, a Member of Parliament (MP).
In her speech to the legislature, Ms. Monaghan of Glasgow North West noted the important contributions made by foreign students, particularly to the UK’s economy.
The Scottish National Party official declared on Wednesday that the new policy of the (UK) government regarding foreign student visas was “misjudged.”
She continued by saying that Scotland would be forced to bear the costs of the government’s misjudged strategy.
She claimed that international students improved society in the UK in all spheres, including universities, IT, and health.
In an effort to reduce net migration, the UK government criticized a restriction on student visa pathways on Tuesday.
The most recent regulation prohibits bringing family members on all but postgraduate research paths for overseas students, including those from Nigeria.
The government specifically outlawed using a student visa as a backdoor to obtain employment in the UK while noting that net migration increased by over 500,000 between June 2021 and June 2022.
According to a statement made by Suella Braverman, Secretary of State for the Home Department, half a million student visas have been awarded, and the number of dependents of international students has climbed by 750% since 2019 to 136,000 persons.
In addition, Mr. Braverman said that there would be rigorous limitations on dependents when the new laws took effect for students in January 2024.
However, he continued, “The government will work with the higher education sector to explore alternative options to ensure the brightest and best students can continue to bring dependents when they study at the UK’s top-ranked universities.”
According to statistics, foreign students bring in more than £4 billion for the Scottish economy, providing advantages to locals worth thousands of dollars.
