Two Year Work Rights for International Students in UK Reinstated for 2020/21
2 Years Post Study Work Visa In UK: Foreign students will be allowed to stay in the UK for two years after graduating, in a policy U-turn on post-visa studies.
The UK education sector is elated that post-study work rights are set to be offered 2 Years Post Study Work Visa for international students after graduation, with enrollments from the 2020/21 academic year set to benefit from this new immigration rule.
In the midst of a political meltdown, the government revealed the policy change as part of an announcement about the world’s largest genetics research project also being launched, with the emphasis on the UK’s need for expertise – notably in STEM fields – made apparent.
“This will put the UK back where we ought to be”
“International students make up half of all full-time postgraduate students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths subjects. The new immigration route… will mean international graduates in any subject, including STEM, will be able to stay in the UK for two years to find work,” read the statement.
UUKi director Vivienne Stern, just back from a trade delegation to India, welcomed the change.
She told The PIE News, “This will put the UK back where we ought to be – a first-choice destination for international students. We lost ground in the last few years, particularly in South Asia.”
Foreign students will be allowed to stay in UK for two years after graduating
The “Boris Johnson government” on Wednesday announced the return of the two-year post-study work visa that was popular with self-financing Indian students, reversing a 2012 decision that led to a major drop of Indian students coming to the UK.
International students are currently only permitted to remain in the UK for up to four months after completing their studies under rules that were introduced by Theresa May when she was the Home Secretary.
From 2021, international students who enroll on undergraduate, postgraduate or PhD courses in the UK will be able to stay in the country for two years after they graduate.
Under European Union (EU) laws, tuition fees for British and EU students are capped at £9,250 per year, but there is no limit on what universities can charge international students.
There are currently 460,000 foreign university students in the UK, generating £20 billion per year through education exports – which includes income from international students, English language training and education technology solutions being sold worldwide.
A report published earlier this year found that foreign students who study at university in the UK go on to earn up to 50 per cent more than their British classmates.
Maths graduates from the UK earn an average of £33,100 five years after they complete their degree, while their peers from outside of Europe earn £48,600, according to the study by the Higher Education Policy Institute.
Meanwhile, Economics graduates earn an average of £37,900 after five years if they are from Britain compared to £45,700 if they are from overseas. In both subjects, students from other European Union (EU) countries earn more than their British classmates but less than those from outside the EU.
