UK PM Boris Johnson restores post-study work programme, even with Brexit looming

In a bid to attract more international students, the British government has proposed to bring back the two-year post-study work programme.

The move, which reverses the four-month limit imposed by Theresa May in 2012 with the view to tighten immigration, will allow non-UK students to remain in the country for up to two years after graduation.

The programme, which is likely to come into effect from 2021, will allow international students with a valid student visa to look for job opportunities in the UK for up to two years after graduating, reports suggest.

This will especially benefit Indian students in the UK who comprise one of the largest standalone student groups there, after European Union and China. According to a report, the number of international students in the UK stood at 25,905 as of 2007-08, of which Indians accounted for 7.6 percent. This figure, however, dropped to 3.7 percent in 2016-17.

The suspension of the post-study work programme by the Theresa May government was one of the reasons behind the drop in the number of Indian students moving to the UK for higher studies.

This, in addition to talks of Brexit, made the United Kingdom an unattractive place for higher education. In a conversation with Moneycontrol, Abhinav Lohia, Director, South Asia and Middle East, Canam Investors, said that without the post-study work programme, the UK is no longer an attractive option for students as most of them who go there, also hope to work in the country.

"Almost all countries will have such a programme in one form or the other," he added.

With Brexit looming, the Boris Johnson-led government may be looking to attract more talented students into the country as the UK will now have to compete with Germany for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students. Reports suggest that India has one of the largest number of students opting for STEM. Reinstating the post-study work programme might therefore add gloss back to higher education in the UK, especially for Indian students seeking education there.