Immigration, especially the topic of international students, is back on the agenda, ever since Jo Johnson MP introduced his amendment in April to expand the duration of post-study work visas from the current four months to its previous length of two years. The amendment received cross-party backing, including from the former Home Secretary, the current Home Secretary and the Prime Minister.
But not just there, public opinion is favourable as well, most don’t even see international students as migrants — 74%1 of the public want to see international graduates using their skills in the UK after their studies. The UK is the second-most popular country in the world for international students, after the USA, but declining market share and falls in students arriving from key markets like India have put the UK’s reputation at risk. Many commentators put the reason for this squarely down to Government policy, particularly the axing of the two-year post study work route in 2011.
This blog looks at what’s at stake, what has gone wrong and what the new Government should do about it.
