International students will be given visa extensions of up to a year to look for work in the UK as part of a package of government measures to boost numbers of overseas students settling in the UK after Brexit.
Announcing the strategy, the Department for Education (“DfE”) noted there is no limit on the number of international students that can study in the UK, and to ensure the UK continues to attract and welcome them, the post-study leave period will be extended to six months for undergraduate and master’s students, and one year for doctoral students. The move represents a change from current policy which permits students to stay for just four months after graduation, although those with PhDs can apply for an additional year.
The visa extension follows a recommendation made last year by the independent migration advisory committee and a white paper on skills-based immigration published by the government in December.
The DfE and the Department for International Trade will also unveil an international education strategy with the objective of ensuring a 30% increase in overseas students in UK higher education during the next decade. This would raise the number of non-UK students at British universities from 460,000 – including nearly 140,000 from the EU – to 600,000 by 2030. The global drive was felt to be necessary as the UK prepares to leave the EU.
The government may also consider a further change in policy with respect to the way in which the visa process could be improved for applicants and supporting student employment.
Universities UK welcomed the steps that had been taken to improve the visa regime, and stated it would push for a further extension of two years in the future.
