UK has planned up to make changes in immigration rules for international students to let them stay in the country for two years after graduation to find a job, media sources reported. It will apply to students pursuing undergraduate degrees or above from the next academic year. British universities have called on the government to reintroduce a visa that would allow overseas students to stay in the country to work for up to two years after graduation.
They say it would give the UK a competitive edge over rival countries and help it maintain the 450,000 international students, 134,835 of them EU-born, who come to study in Britain every year.
Universities UK, the sector’s umbrella body, said in a briefing to parliament on Tuesday: “The UK remains an extremely popular destination for international students, attracting more students from abroad except the much larger US. “However, the UK’s closest competitors, such as the USA, Australia, France and Germany, all continue to grow at a faster rate than the UK.” While student numbers in 2014-15 rose by 9.4% in the US, 10.7% in Australia and 8.7% in Germany, the UK rate was 0.5%.
U.K. to re-introduce 2-year post-study work visa for international students
