UK Bans Dependents Of Foreign Students; Indians To Be Most Affected - India Bytes

New Delhi: The New Year did not begin on a very bright note for international students studying in the UK. Restrictions on visa routes came into force on Monday (January 1), with the country banning the “unreasonable practice” of overseas students bringing their families to the nation. The decision is set to affect thousands of Indian nationals who represent the largest international student group in the UK, according to news agencies.

Announcing the move, British Home Secretary James Cleverly said the ban would cut migration by tens of thousands. “This government is delivering on its commitment to the British public to cut migration. We have set out a tough plan to rapidly bring numbers down, control our borders and prevent people from manipulating our immigration system, which will come into force throughout this year,” he said.

“Today, a major part of that plan comes into effect, ending the unreasonable practice of overseas students bringing their family members to the UK. This will see migration falling rapidly by the tens of thousands and contribute to our overall strategy to prevent 300,000 people from coming to the UK.”

In a post on X, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced, “From today, the majority of foreign university students cannot bring family members to the UK.”

“In 2024, we’re already delivering for the British people,” said the leader.

Another post by the UK Home Office stated, “We are fully committed to seeing a decisive cut in migration.”

Britain’s former home secretary, Suella Braverman introduced the ban in September 2022. At the time, in an interview, Braverman said that dependents were “piggybacking” on student visas and “not contributing to growing our economy”.

The restriction affects all foreign students, except those enrolling in postgraduate research courses and the ones with government-funded scholarships.

Citing a British High Commission spokesperson, a Times of India report from November 2023 said that Indian nationals “represent the largest international student group in the UK, receiving the largest share of our study visas and 42 per cent of all Graduate Route grants.”

As per an SCMP report, revised Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures released last month show that in December 2022 in the UK, net migration ran at a record figure of 745,000. This number stood at a provisional 672,000 in the year to June 2023.