UK Immigration Update:

In an attempt to reduce net migration in the UK, the government announced that foreign postgraduate students on a non-research course will no longer be able to bring family members to the UK under new immigration rules. The government’s new proposal, which will take effect in January 2024, will stop dependants from travelling with master’s students on 9 to 12 months courses.

This could make studying in the UK less attractive to foreign students and in turn, negatively affect the economy of UK universities. Net migration in the UK for the period of March 2022 to March 2023 is at 606,000. However, it is unclear how this new policy will reduce net migration since student visas issued to migrants coming to the UK for less than a year are not counted towards net migration.

The families accompanying foreign students bring significant contributions and value to the student and the new policy may disproportionately impact women. Moreover, dependant partners have the right to work in the UK and this not only has the added benefit of tackling skills shortages in the UK but also provides financial support to the student during their studies.

We are yet to see how the new policy will affect universities in the UK and attract global talent.

If you are considering studying a post-graduate course in the UK and would like to know more about how the new proposal may affect you, please contact our specialist immigration team by filling out the enquiry form at the bottom of this page.