Starting from January 1st, 2024, the government has made strict rules that most international students can no longer bring their families to the UK.
The restrictions on student visas began yesterday as the government aims to reduce migration and prevent misuse of the immigration system.
Under the new rules, international students starting their courses this month won’t be allowed to bring family members unless they’re enrolled in postgraduate research courses or courses with government-funded scholarships. These changes were first announced last May and are expected to reduce the number of people coming to the UK by around 140,000.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that from June 2022 to June 2023, net migration was 672,000. There has been a significant increase in the number of visas issued to dependants of students, rising by over 930% from 2019 to 2023.
These changes are part of a larger plan to reduce the high numbers of migrants coming to the UK and to crack down on those who misuse the immigration system.
Home Secretary James Cleverly stated that this move is in line with the government’s commitment to reducing migration. It aims to prevent people from taking advantage of the immigration system and will contribute to preventing around 300,000 people from coming to the UK.
Tom Pursglove MP, Minister for Legal Migration and the Border, emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance between attracting bright international students and controlling migration levels. The government aims to protect public services while ensuring that students who contribute positively to the economy can still come to the UK.
In addition to the changes to student visas, the government is also taking steps to tackle illegal migration, such as reducing small boat arrivals and increasing illegal working raids. It has also signed migration agreements with several countries and introduced legislation to designate Rwanda as a safe third country for asylum seekers.
These measures are intended to maintain the attractiveness of the UK’s higher education sector while ensuring that immigration levels are sustainable. The government will work with universities to develop alternative approaches to attract talented individuals while continuing to reduce overall migration numbers.
Furthermore, the Home Secretary announced additional measures to bring legal migration down to sustainable levels. This includes ending the abuse of health and care visas by stopping overseas care workers from bringing dependants, increasing salary thresholds for skilled workers, and reviewing the Graduate route to maintain the quality of the UK higher education system.
These comprehensive changes signify the government’s commitment to a tough but fair approach to immigration control, ensuring that those affected have ample time to prepare for the upcoming changes, which will be introduced gradually throughout early 2024.