The level of abuse in the UK’s Graduate visa programme is very low, according to a report filed by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) set up by the British government to look into the issue.
“We have not found evidence of widespread abuse specifically for the Graduate route. The risks of abuse are relatively low due to the limited number of conditions the route imposes,” the report said.
However, the committee noted in its report that it had not been able to assess the risk of overstaying due to the lack of data from the Home Office.
The findings have brought relief to thousands of Indian students eyeing the UK as a study-abroad destination amid the British government tightening its immigration policies. The Graduate Route visa has so far allowed international students to remain in the UK for up to two years (three years for PhD graduates) after completing their course, with opportunities to find work.
On March 11, the government had commissioned the MAC to conduct a rapid review of the Graduate route. The committee has recommended that the Graduate route be retained in its current form.
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According to the report, titled ‘Rapid Review of the Graduate Route’, 1.14 lakh Graduate route visas were granted for main applicants in 2023 with a further 30,000 granted for dependants.
The bulk of the applicants for the Graduate route are from India, Nigeria, China and Pakistan. The four countries account for 70 percent of all such visas, with India alone accounting for over 40 percent. In 2023, 91 percent of the Graduate visa holders had completed a postgraduate taught course.
“We at Fateh Education, welcome the review and recommendation of the Migration Advisory Committee submitted on the Graduate Route, as it highlights the benefits that overseas students provide to the UK higher education system and the economy at large,” said Suneet Singh Kochar, CEO and Co-Founder of Fateh Education. “It showcases that there is largely no misuse of the route by international students, of which Indian students are a large cohort.” Kochar added that he hopes that the UK Government accepts the recommendations.
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Similarly, Aritra Ghosal, Founder and Director of OneStep Global, said, “We will expect the government and the relevant authorities to look into the recommendation thoroughly and not take unilateral kinds of decisions that are not in line with the Migration Advisory Committee.”
Agent quality framework
To prevent abuse of students, the committee also recommended that universities should be required to publish data on their spends on international recruitment agents and the number of students recruited through agents annually, as a starting point to improving disclosure.
“We recommend that the government establishes a mandatory registration system for international recruitment agents and subagents which encompasses the quality controls in the voluntary Agent Quality Framework (AQF), consulting with the Devolved Administrations to ensure UK-wide coverage,” the report said.
While this framework was optional until now, Fateh Education’s Singh said making it mandatory would allow universities to work with the UK Home Office to register quality agents. This, he said, would help ensure that Indian students are not exploited.
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“We recognise the bigger objective of these reviews is to enhance policies and address evolving needs in the education sector, and therefore congratulate the UK government for striking a balance between student interests and national objectives,” said Saurabh Arora, CEO & Founder of University Living. “We believe that those with admission offers in hand can now safely proceed to make deposits and plan their travel for the upcoming intake.”
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