UK, no more a student's cup of tea
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Once a favorite destination for international students, United Kingdom has now become a tough choice following US and Canada. A number of students opting for UK for higher studies and jobs have second thoughts on shifting prospects. Reasons vary from inflated cost of living and highly competitive job market. This has been the case for the last couple of years. Now it has turned more challenging with the proposals of a new legislation, Immigragtion Whitepaper, aiming to curb the influx of foreigners. The law, now in the works, will shut the doors of UK for the international students in effect.
As against the official position of ‘campaign of controlled, selective and fair system’, the real motive of the Stalmer led government is political. It wants to show the public that they are more right than left. That’s how the UK politics moves.
Immigration is the boiling pot of many of the European countries including UK. Things are coming to such a pass that the harder the decisions the leader takes to control immigration, the greater the chances of getting the mandate, as happened in the latest US election. Labour party of UK, the centre-left political party, that is supposed to take a liberal stand on immigration is compelled to take the route of conservatives to placate the growing right wing politics. This political surprise has inadvertently hit thousands of international students seeking better prospects in UK.
Immigration Whitepaper
The key aspects of Immigration Whitepaper, a set of new rules that has has been widely discussed now pose a major threat to the immigrants. Though the law is yet to be passed in the parliament, it may come into effect sooner or later, as the country is leaning towards right wing politics.
One of the challenges is the rules regarding permanent residency or PR. The current five year requirement for permanent residency is proposed to be extended to ten years-a change that many consider impractical under the present circumstances. No institution or native individual will be ready to give ten year long sponsorship to a foreigner which will cost them dearly. Evidently, the preference will go to the natives who do not need any PR.
The next sticking point is the stay back policy for international students, one of the attractions of studying in UK. It helped the students considerably to find a job and was an opportunity to pay back their education loans. Earlier it was two years, the new legislation propose to cut short the same into one and half years.
No less unfavourable is the decision to restrict bringing of dependents into UK. It was introduced in 2023. Post graduate students can no longer bring their dependents barring PhD and research focused students. This opportunity was a gate-way into UK for many families who want to settle in the British soil.
More importantly, the UK government will charge universities six percent tax on tuition fees income. This would be an additional burden for international students who have to pay exorbitant tuition fees in the UK universities. The rate would be higher if the ranking of the school is higher. Top ranking institutions will become inaccessible to an average income student.
It’s estimated that 1.2 million people arrived in the UK last year. Interestingly, 86 percent of people who arrived are from non EU countries. Out of this, 479,000 people left the country in the same period owing to the strict immigration rules. According to media reports, a 26 per cent drop was recorded in Indians applying to study in UK. Sponsored student visas issued to Indians decreased from 1,20,000 to 88,732 in the previous year, reports The Indian Express quoting UK Home Office
Any anti-immigration drive would definitely hit the Indians more as they top in the number of immigrants over other countries. And of course, this would have its own impact on thousands of Keralites who focus more on education than other communities do. The flexibility of availing education loans in Kerala has also been a reason for the increased immigration into UK and other countries.
