To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the International Education Strategy:
global potential, global growth, published in March, what plans they have to introduce
a new system of visas for international students to (1) enable the growth of international
student numbers, (2) improve their experience of applying for visas, (3) reduce the
administrative burden and be cost-effective, and (4) increase the reliability, transparency
and accountability of the immigration system.
<p>The Government welcomes international students and has an ambition to increase
the total number of international students hosted in the UK to 600,000 per year by
2030. University-sponsored Tier 4 visa applications rose by 10% in the year ending
March 2019 and are at their highest level on record. 97% of those who applied for
a Tier 4 visa in 2018 were granted.</p><p>As set out in the immigration white paper
‘The UK’s future skills-based immigration system’ and supporting the International
Education Strategy, we will increase the post-study leave period for postgraduate
students to six months, and doctorate students to a year, and make it easier for graduates
to switch into skilled work in the UK. We will also increase the post-study leave
period for all undergraduates studying at institutions with degree awarding powers
to six-months. These changes will benefit hundreds of thousands of students.</p><p>We
keep the visa system under review to ensure it remains fit for purpose and that the
UK’s visa system is world-class, with the aim of improving the customer journey both
for students and their sponsoring institutions. This will include reviewing processes
for conducting interviews to ensure that these are appropriately focused and to minimise
any inconvenience for applicants and continuing to consider the increased use of differentiation,
streamlining the application process by allowing students to benefit from reduced
documentary requirements when applying for a visa.</p>
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the International Education Strategy:
global potential, global growth, published in March, what plans they have to introduce
a new system of visas for international students which would (1) increase the diversity
of applicants, (2) be accessible to all applicants, and (3) be simpler for students
and sponsors to understand and navigate.
<p>The Government welcomes international students and has an ambition to increase
the total number of international students hosted in the UK to 600,000 per year by
2030. University-sponsored Tier 4 visa applications rose by 10% in the year ending
March 2019 and are at their highest level on record. 97% of those who applied for
a Tier 4 visa in 2018 were granted.</p><p>As set out in the immigration white paper
‘The UK’s future skills-based immigration system’ and supporting the International
Education Strategy, we will increase the post-study leave period for postgraduate
students to six months, and doctorate students to a year, and make it easier for graduates
to switch into skilled work in the UK. We will also increase the post-study leave
period for all undergraduates studying at institutions with degree awarding powers
to six-months. These changes will benefit hundreds of thousands of students.</p><p>We
keep the visa system under review to ensure it remains fit for purpose and that the
UK’s visa system is world-class, with the aim of improving the customer journey both
for students and their sponsoring institutions. This will include reviewing processes
for conducting interviews to ensure that these are appropriately focused and to minimise
any inconvenience for applicants and continuing to consider the increased use of differentiation,
streamlining the application process by allowing students to benefit from reduced
documentary requirements when applying for a visa.</p>
