The government have introduced a new law that cuts the time international students can stay in the UK after graduating from 2 years to 18 months.
The new terms will begin on 1st January 2027, and will not apply to anyone who applies before then.
Commenting, Sai Shraddha S. Viswanathan, NUS Scotland President, said:
“Today, international students are feeling deflated and let down by a country that they have worked so hard to live in.
“The Graduate Route Visa is designed to allow international students to find “graduate-level” employment after their courses end. Cutting this time benefits no-one; it gives international students less time to find a job and gives the UK less opportunity to retain talented, motivated workers.
“As an international student myself, and a representative of tens of thousands of other international students, I know that employment opportunities post-degree are one of the most important considerations for where we will study. This restriction will just mean that less international students come to the UK.
“Not only is this a loss for international students, but home students will also suffer. International students make our campuses more vibrant, and the opportunity to develop cross-border friendships enrich our whole lives.
“Furthermore, international students prop up the UK education system. Our extortionate fees fund home students’ educations. After the previous government introduced measures to stop international students from bringing their dependents, the sudden drop in international students sent our universities into crisis.
“Our universities are already on the brink of financial collapse, and this decision will only make it worse. It is clear that the government made this self-destructive move with no thought for the international students whose horizons they are limiting, or the home students whose funding they are withdrawing.
“We should be creating a welcoming, global education system that attracts the most talented people in the world, but the government constantly chooses the opposite.”
