UK Prime Minister Sunak faces uprising over plans to scrap Graduate Route visa: report

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is considering restrictions on Britain’s post-study visa, allowing graduates to stay and work for up to two years after studying as part of efforts to curb rising rates of legal migration, despite strong opposition from some of his ministers . a report claimed on Sunday.

According to The Observer newspaper, Sunak is facing a cabinet revolt over plans to abolish the Graduate Route programme, the deciding factor in choosing British universities among Indian students who have topped the list of these post-study visas since its launch in 2021 .

Downing Street is said to be considering further restricting or even ending the route, despite the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) saying it is not being abused and should be continued as it helps UK universities finance to make up for losses on the domestic front.

Sunak is now caught between the demands of right-wing parties with one eye on the Tory leadership and Conservative moderates who fear the impact of a swing to the right on the party’s reputation and election chances, the newspaper claims, citing sources close to the ministers are standing. who are against the cancellation of the visa.

Sunak’s Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Foreign Secretary David Cameron are among those in the Cabinet reportedly leading a rebellion over the issue. It comes as university and business chiefs have warned that any curtailment of post-study provision would make Britain less attractive to foreign students, including Indians.

Studying at university is one of our greatest export successes. Attracting international students will boost local economies and the loss of competitiveness would jeopardize support for university education and innovation, says John Foster, Chief Policy and Campaigns Officer of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

Now that the MAC has determined that the Graduate Visa achieves the government’s own policy objectives and is not being abused, it is time to put its future beyond doubt and end this period of damaging speculation, he said.

Universities UK (UUK), the main representative body for UK universities, has also called on the government to end the toxic uncertainty caused by the government’s decision to overhaul the visa route.

We hope and expect that the Government will now listen to the advice they have received and provide categorical reassurance that the graduate visa has a lasting future, said Vivienne Stern, CEO of UUK.

MAC chairman Professor Brian Bell, who completed a rapid review of the plan earlier this week, has said that “our evidence suggests that it is Indian students who will be most affected by any restrictions on the Graduate Route”.

The influential committee that advises the UK government on migration found that Indians were responsible for 89,200 visas between 2021 and 2023, or 42 percent of total grants, and the visa was cited as the overwhelming decision point in their choice of a higher education destination.

The uncertainty caused by the revision was chaotic. We urge the government to accept the MAC’s findings and ensure that the Graduate Route remains a stable and permanent part of the UK immigration system,” said Vignesh Karthik of the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK.

In a general election year expected in the coming months, the Sunak-led government sees reducing high legal and illegal migration rates as a priority area, and with the latest set of quarterly immigration statistics due next week, further action is on the horizon.

First print: May 19, 2024 | 11:51 PM IST