UK reduces post-study work visa to 18 months under Graduate Route

The UK government has issued a white paper introducing stricter regulations for international students looking to study in Britain.

One of the major immigration reforms impacting foreign students will be the reduction of post-study work permit duration. The post-study work visa allows graduates to stay in the UK to work.

White Paper on Immigration proposes to reduce the ability for Graduates to remain in the UK after their studies to a period of 18 months from the current 24 months (three years for PhD students).

The Graduate route was launched in July 2021 as an unsponsored route which allows students to stay in the UK for two years (or three years for PhD students) after graduation. The purpose of the route is for international student graduates to work, or look for work, following the successful completion of an eligible course.

Second big impact is on the cost of education in UK. Reforms proposed in the White Paper on Immigration will also push up the cost of studying in UK for international students. UK is exploring introducing a levy on higher education provider income from international students, to be reinvested into skills.

Thirdly, the UK will increase language requirements for Skilled Workers and workers where a language requirement already applies from B1 to B2 (Independent User) levels, under the Common European Framework for Reference for Languages (CEFR).

UK will also introduce a new English language requirement for all adult dependants of workers and students at level A1 (Basic User) to align to spousal and partner routes and will work towards increasing this requirement over time.

The new English language requirements will restrict inflows of only English proficient individuals into the UK.

Fourth, the White Paper on Immigration has some measures that will ensure that sponsors are encouraged to recruit their students responsibly, only offering places to genuine students who meet the requirements of the route.

The UK government is tightening the restrictions for schools and universities that wish to attract international students. These modifications are intended to prevent persons from exploiting student visas. Schools must now achieve higher standards to maintain their license to sponsor international students:

Visa refusal rate must be under 10% (no change).
At least 95% of students must start their course (was 90% before).
At least 90% must finish their course (was 85% before).

Colleges and universities will be rated Red, Amber, or Green based on how well they perform. This will be visible to both the public and the government.