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UK may limit foreign students’ family entry

UK mulls immigration curbs on foreign student families

A near-eightfold rise in the number of family members joining foreign students has left Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman worried, reports Asian Lite News

International students are likely to be restricted from bringing their spouses and children to the UK unless they study “high-value” degrees under government plans.

According to The Times, foreign students granted visas to study science, mathematics, and engineering can relocate to the UK with dependants.

A near-eightfold rise in the number of family members joining foreign students has left Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman worried.

According to new immigration figures, 490,763 students were given visas last year.

They were accompanied by 135,788 dependants — spouses and children — up from 16,047 in 2019.

Of these, India became the largest source of students with 161,000 students, including 33,240 dependents, coming to the UK last year.

Asylum backlog hit a record high, with more than 160,000 migrants waiting for decisions on their applications, the report said.

The government is yet to make a final decision on the contentious matter.

Braverman has drawn up proposals to reduce the number, which includes shortening the duration foreign students can stay in Britain post their course.

(PHOTO CREDIT: University of Greenwich)

However, according to the Department of Education, the restrictions will bankrupt UK universities, which depend on foreign students for money.

According to estimates, international students add 35 billion pounds a year to the economy.

According to UK-based New Way Consultancy, foreign students and their dependents contributed to the UK economy not just through fees of 10,000 pounds to 26,000 pounds but also via an NHS surcharge of 400 pounds a year for the student and 600 pounds for a dependent.

It warned that curbs on graduate work visas will force Indian students to shift to countries like Australia and Canada, ultimately leading to the end of the student market in the UK.

More than 45,000 people crossed the Channel to the UK in small boats over the past year, according to government figures, with 90 crossing on Christmas Day alone.

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-Top News London News UK News

UK may lift work hour limit for foreign students

UK government is reportedly planning to allow foreign students to work for longer hours, reports Asian Lite News

UK government is gearing up to plug labour shortages in a new way. International students, including Indians, in the UK are likely to be allowed to work for longer hours and take up more part time jobs in various sectors across the country, according to a report.

Presently, foreign students in the UK, who number around 6,80,000, are allowed to work for a maximum of 20 hours a week during term time.

However, discussions have begun within the government to raise this cap to 30 hours or remove it entirely in a bid to boost its economy, The Times reported.

International students made up 476,000 of the 1.1 million migrants who arrived in the country last year.

Of these, India became the largest source of students with 161,000 students, including 33,240 dependents, coming to the UK last year.

There are 1.3 million empty posts, almost half a million more than before the pandemic, and according to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, “businesses are crying out for workers”.

Government sources told The Times that lifting the cap on foreign students’ hours was “part of a swathe of ideas being considered”, adding that the idea is at a nascent stage.

But what could put a spanner in the works is Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s plans to reduce the number of foreign students coming to the country.

Students are seen on the campus of LSE (The London School of Economics and Political Science) in London, Britain, on March 8, 2021. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

With the net migration numbers rising to an estimated record of 504,000 last year, Braverman has drawn up proposals to reduce the number, which includes shortening the duration foreign students can stay in Britain post their course.

Curbs are also being considered on the number of dependents allowed into the UK and restricting foreign students attending “low-quality” courses.

However, according to the Department of Education, the restrictions will bankrupt UK universities, which depend on foreign students for money.

According to UK-based New Way Consultancy, foreign students and their dependents contributed to the UK economy not just through fees of 10,000 pounds to 26,000 pounds but also via an NHS surcharge of 400 pounds a year for the student and 600 pounds for a dependent.

It warned that curbs on graduate work visas will force Indian students to shift to countries like Australia and Canada, ultimately leading to the end of the student market in the UK.

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-Top News USA

Bill moved to kill work programme for foreign students in US

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, Optional Practical Training (OPT) provides for temporary employment in the area of study of F-1 students….reports Asian Lite News

A group of House Republicans has introduced a bill to eliminate a programme that allows foreign students on an F-1 visa to stay in the United States after their completion of studies under certain conditions. Congressmen Paul A Gosar, Mo Brooks, Andy Biggs and Matt Gaetz introduced the ‘Fairness for High-Skilled Americans Act’ in the House of Representatives to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, Optional Practical Training (OPT) provides for temporary employment in the area of study of F-1 students. They can apply to receive up to 12 months of employment authorization before completing their academic studies and/or after completing their academic studies. If passed, the law would affect thousands of Indians studying in the United States on F-1 student visas.

“What country creates a programme, but not a law, that rewards its businesses to fire citizen workers and replace them with foreign labour to pay the foreign labour less? The United States. The programme is called OPT and it reflects a complete abandonment of our own workers,” Gosar said.

USA

About 80,000 Indian students are employed in the US through OPT and Gosar alleges that the programme circumvents the H-1B cap to allow over 100,000 foreigners working in the US after graduation. He argued that the F-1 visa holders are exempt from payroll taxes, making them at least 10-15 per cent cheaper than a comparable American worker.

“At a time when American college graduates are struggling to find a job and many are saddled with student loans, our government should not be incentivizing foreign employees over Americans. This badly flawed government programme should be eliminated,” he added.

The bill has to pass through the House and the Senate before it can be sent to the president to sign it into law. Since Democrats control both the Chambers of the US Congress, it would not be easy for the Republicans to eliminate the programme.

“Landing that first job out of college will only become more difficult for young Americans as our universities formalise the role they play in crowding out opportunities once reserved for American graduates. For this reason, the OPT must be eliminated,” stated Kevin Lynn, Founder of US Techworkers, a non-profit pushing Congress to “protect” American workers.

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