Indian students aspiring to settle abroad through the graduate route might encounter impending challenges. To rally for Indian students in the UK, a prominent representative organisation began a new “Fair Visa, Fair Chance” campaign on Apr 4.

The ‘graduate visa route’ allows international students to remain in the UK for two years after graduating and can provide valuable opportunities for international students to gain work experience and contribute to the workforce post-graduation, which, for now, is believed to be in danger.

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has been commissioned by UK home secretary James Cleverley to review graduate route visas to ensure they are ‘fit for purpose’ and is expected to submit a report next month.

NISAU advocates rights of Indian students

However, acting on the ongoing review regarding the visa, the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK has called for action, keeping in mind the interests and rights of Indian students.

NISAU will be presenting evidence to the MAC, safeguarding the rights and opportunities of international students.

Commenting on the matter, Lord Karan Bilimoria, co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on international students and patron of NISAU UK, said, “The ability to work for two years post-graduation helps international students earn money to pay for their degrees. This will also help to gain experience as well as strengthen ties with the UK.”

“We are in global competition and need to offer post-graduation work opportunities to compete with countries like the USA, Canada, and Australia. The threat of doing away with the two-year post-graduation work visa is sending unnecessary and damaging messages across the world, and universities are already seeing a drastic drop in international student applications,” Bilimoria added.

Indian students important for the UK economy

Highlighting the importance of international students in the UK’s economy, Bilimoria went on to say that the UK would be ‘shooting itself in the foot’ if graduate routes were discontinued, as the students contribute GBP 42 billion to the country’s economy.

Since its 2020 relaunch, the home office has granted 213,250 visas to international students, with Indians being the largest group with 43% of these grants.

Sanam Arora, NISAU UK chair and commissioner of the UK’s international higher education commission said, “It is very sad that a few years after the work-study system was reintroduced in the UK, we have to defend it once again. Graduate visas for Indian students are a key requirement and an important part of the UK’s international higher education system.”

“In our earlier campaign, which lasted for seven years, we fought to bring back the graduate visa route and will do the same again,” added Arora.

He also mentioned that without the graduate route, the university’s finances can collapse, which may have a negative impact not only on international students but also on domestic UK students. The world-class research taking place in UK universities is heavily subsidised by international students, given the potential of domestic students.

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