With speculation of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reportedly contemplating changes to the UK’s Graduate Route visa, the NISAU (National Indian Students and Alumni Union) wrote to the UK PM concerning the visa route policy.

In the letter the NISAU, a student network organisation, requested  a safeguard in the Graduate Route, a policy that allows international students to stay in the UK for two years after graduating to work or look for work. 

They emphasised that the Graduate Route is beneficial for the UK economy and higher education sector and that it helps to address skills shortages.

What is a Graduate Route visa? 

The Graduate visa allows individuals to remain in the UK for a minimum of two years after completing a course there. Applicants must be present in the UK at the time of application, as per UK government website.

According to the letter written by NISAU, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) found no evidence that the Graduate Route is being abused. 

“The Graduate Route is important for the well-being of international students already in the UK. It is important for the educational experience of international students considering studying abroad,” the letter mentioned. 

According to the letter, a total of 70% of Indian students said that the ability to gain meaningful work experience is a critical factor in their decision to choose where to study.

“It benefits the education of home students by bringing diversity and global perspectives to the classroom along with bringing a net economic benefit of £37,000 bn to the UK's economy, per cohort of graduates.”

The Graduate Route is said to address skills shortages in the NHS, education, and other sectors.

“Some find merit in reducing the hard work of young people to ‘deliveroo visas’. International students and graduates are by and large extremely hard-working young people who have typically invested tens of thousands of pounds into their UK education, alongside their dreams and aspirations for a better future,” said NISAU.

“They trust our country with their futures, often by taking out expensive educational loans. It is only reasonable that they would want some return on this very significant investment. And the return they seek is a very simple opportunity to gain meaningful work experience for a temporary period. In today's world where employability is a key outcome of education, we should not separate work experience from the study experience,” it added.

It is critical to acknowledge the significance of the Graduate route for UK universities, international students, and the UK's overall prosperity. We request Hon PM @RishiSunak to keep the Graduate route unchanged. This decision will help ensure that the UK remains a top… https://t.co/F8OIcV2HvN

— NISAU UK - Home of 🇮🇳 students & alumni in 🇬🇧 (@NISAU_UK) May 21, 2024

Between 2021 and 2023, 89,200 students were granted visas through this route. Vice-chancellors from 30 universities spanning Sunderland to Sheffield, Leeds to Leicester, Bradford to Huddersfield, and York to Newcastle have voiced concerns in a letter, warning that reducing or eliminating visas could harm universities. 

This letter comes days after the Russell Group CEO Dr Tim Bradshaw also came out in support of the Graduate Route visa, claiming that international students bring huge value to the university communities.

The Group also stated that the number of international applications for postgraduate courses has already decreased by 10% since September. They believe that imposing unnecessary additional restrictions on international students will cause great harm.

Moreover, members of Prime Minister Sunak’s cabinet are also believed to be opposed to any changes to the plan.

Also read:

Indian student organisation in UK began ‘Fair Visa, Fair Chance’ campaign