[SCMP Column] International Students Targeted by 'Anti-Immigration Policy'

Immigrants Surge After Brexit
Family Visas Below Master's Level Suspended
Prime Minister Sunak Gains Support Ahead of General Election

Concerns Over Sharp Drop in Prospective UK University Students
Victims of Short-Term Political Goals
Business Sector Also Criticizes as 'National Loss'

Cliff Buddle SCMP Columnist

The UK government has decided to stop issuing family visas to international students enrolled in master's programs or below as part of its anti-immigration policy starting this year. Until now, international students could bring their spouses and children under 18 years old for residency purposes, but now family accompaniment is only allowed for research master's programs or those receiving government scholarships.

Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, sparked controversy by posting a message supporting this anti-immigration policy on X (formerly Twitter) on New Year's Day. He wrote, "In 2024, the UK will issue (visa applications, etc.) for the British people." Critics have unsurprisingly described Sunak as arrogantly presumptuous.

Considering the value universities contribute to the country, it is natural for the UK government to strive to attract more international students. However, the government's decision to stop issuing family visas to international students seems contrary to this. Innocent international students appear to have become unfair targets.

Following Brexit, the UK's departure from the European Union (EU) in 2020, it was widely expected that immigration would decrease in the UK. However, the reality was different. Immigration surged after Brexit. Last year, the UK's net migration reached a record high of 745,000. This posed a dilemma for the UK government.

With growing backlash from British citizens expressing relative deprivation over immigrants and in preparation for the upcoming general election, the UK government has erected barriers against immigrants. This includes controversial and unsuccessful policies such as sending refugees who entered via the English Channel to Rwanda last April. Last month, the government announced stringent immigration restrictions aimed at reducing the number of immigrants by 300,000, including raising the minimum income threshold for skilled workers. These measures also included strengthened entry restrictions for dependents of UK international students.

The number of new international students in the UK more than doubled from 254,000 in 2017-2018 to 679,970 in 2020-2021. Alongside this, the number of dependents of international students surged from 14,839 in 2019 to 152,980 as of last September. This is attributed to the government's reintroduction in 2019 of a visa allowing international students to stay for two years after completing their studies. Allowing graduate international students to bring dependents during their studies has raised concerns within the government about the rapid increase in family numbers.

This anti-immigration stance is damaging the UK's international image. UK universities heavily rely on international students, who pay significantly higher fees than local students. These fees often subsidize local students. According to a report published last year by the consulting firm London Economics, international students at UK universities in 2020-2021 paid ?4.4 billion in fees during their studies and contributed an estimated ?41.9 billion in economic value during this period. This equates to a benefit of ?560 per UK citizen.

International students in the UK have faced many hardships, including visa fees, healthcare charges, and rapidly rising accommodation costs. They also endured separation from family and friends in their home countries, especially during the pandemic. In this context, allowing graduate students to bring their dependents can be seen as a humanitarian policy. University communities feared that this government measure would sharply reduce prospective international students. The business sector has also criticized this decision.

International students fill labor shortages depleted after Brexit. They help invigorate multicultural communities locally, and UK students in these areas experience a globalized daily life through them. Ahead of the general election, international students should not become scapegoats for short-term political goals aligned with anti-immigration forces. International students are not the "problem" but part of the "solution" the UK should pursue.

Cliff Buddle, South China Morning Post (SCMP) columnist

This article is a translation by Asia Economy of the SCMP column titled 'International students victims of Sunak’s short-term political goals.'