Universities in the United Kingdom (UK) are persuading Indian students to bring their families to the country. As per a report by Telegraph, the country's commissions are paying agents who market "graduate visas" to help potential Indian students get visas for their spouses and children, as stated in a report by IANS.
What is a graduate visa? It was previously known as a post-study visa which gives one permission to stay in the UK for at least two years after successfully finishing a course in the country. As per the recent UK immigration statistics, Indians received 41 per cent of the Graduate Route visas, which were introduced in 2021.
UK Varisties counting on foreign students for money
Agents have gotten creative, using different ways to approach and persuade Indian students. While some come up with offers such as a "full-time job" for a spouse along with a two-year stay in the country, others rush prospective students warning them the restrictions on dependents could lapse anytime now, as stated in a report by IANS.
This immigration situation has been a migraine for the Conservative party-led government as the net migration numbers are rising to an estimated record of 5,04,000 in the year to June. Although ministers have discussed curbs on the number of dependents allowed into the UK and restricting foreign students from attending "low-quality" courses, experts think that will bankrupt UK universities, which depend on foreign students for money.
Further, the British High Commission said it granted 1.27 lakh student visas to Indians in the year ending September 2022, an increase of 273 per cent over the same period in 2019. As per recent reports, India surpassed China to become the largest country of students in the UK. There are 1,61,000 students which include 33,240 dependents coming to the UK last year.
Moreover, the Telegraph reported saying, New Way Consultancy (NWC) says it works for more than 70 universities and earns a commission on each student it recruits. NWC said foreign students and their dependents contributed to the UK economy not just through fees of 10,000 pounds to 26,000 pounds but also via an NHS surcharge of 400 pounds a year for the student and 600 pounds for a dependent.
"International students are not migrants, they never stay here," Moe Sobahan, NWC's recruitment head told Telegraph. Further, curbs on graduate work visas will force Indian students to shift to countries such as Australia and Canada, he warns. Also, this will lead to the end of the student market in the UK, he added.
