Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Migrant graduates to face annual English tests to stay in UK

Pending Cabinet approval, this policy aims to bolster the Graduate Route’s criteria. Institutions with high dropout rates may lose the ability to recruit international students.

Migrant graduates to face annual English tests to stay in UK

Migrant graduates on the Graduate Route visa in the UK may soon face annual English tests under a new proposal by the government. This scheme permits international students to work in the UK for two years post-graduation.

Pending Cabinet approval, this policy aims to bolster the Graduate Route's criteria. Institutions with high dropout rates may lose the ability to recruit international students. Additionally, the Home Office plans to clamp down on recruitment agents placing foreign students in low-paying jobs below the minimum wage, as per the Daily Mail.


A government source informed The Sun that the revised scheme seeks to attract only the "best and brightest" to the UK.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak contemplates banning British universities from enrolling foreign students in "low-quality" postgraduate courses as part of a broader immigration control effort. There are concerns that such courses serve as a backdoor entry into the UK.

Despite a decrease in net immigration from its peak, numbers remain significantly higher than those at the 2019 election, where the Conservatives vowed to reduce them.

Sunak is particularly concerned about universities offering "low-quality" postgraduate courses to foreign students. Government sources cite HM Revenue and Customs data, indicating that 41 per cent of visa-using graduates earn less than £15,000, according to the Daily Mail.

Potential rule tightening may face opposition from senior Cabinet ministers and universities, which heavily rely on the higher fees paid by international students.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt stated on Friday that current changes to immigration rules are already reducing immigration, implying further restrictions on student numbers may be unnecessary, as reported by The Sun. He pledged Government support for "sustainable increases in international students coming to the UK."

Education secretary Gillian Keegan opposes banning foreign students from lower quality postgraduate courses, asserting, "This can't all be about PPEs from Oxford."

Earlier, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recommended continuing the scheme, finding no abuse of the post-study work offer. The committee noted that Indians accounted for 42 per cent of visas from 2021 to 2023 and would be most affected by any restrictions.

On Tuesday, universities and Indian student groups urged Sunak to maintain the country’s post-study visa offer. Nearly 30 university vice-chancellors and the National Indian Students and Alumni Association (NISAU) UK sent letters to 10 Downing Street.

They underscored the benefits of retaining the Graduate Route visa scheme, highlighting its economic advantages and the role of international students in enhancing the UK’s global educational competitiveness.

“The modelling by consultancy London Economics shows that a single cohort has a net economic benefit of GBP 37 billion to the UK economy, as well as through the soft power that Britain’s international graduates generate for the country over time, including through furthering ties of trade and diplomacy,” read the NISAU UK letter to Sunak.

Universities from northern England, including Sunderland, Sheffield, Leeds, Lancaster, Liverpool, Teesside, Bradford, Huddersfield, York, and Newcastle, warned that removing or reducing this visa would harm their institutions, reported PTI.

More For You

Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Air India crash probe finds fuel to engines was cut off before impact

Highlights

 
     
  • Fuel to both engines of the Air India flight was cut off seconds before the crash
  •  
  • A pilot was heard questioning the other over the cut-off; both denied initiating it.
  •  
  • The Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people.
  •  
  • Investigators are focusing on fuel switch movement; full analysis may take months.

FUEL control switches to both engines of the Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff were moved from the "run" to the "cutoff" position seconds before the crash, according to a preliminary investigation report released early Saturday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

The Indian Navy and Coast Guard have consistently reported Chinese research vessel presence. (Representational image: Getty Images)

Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

A Chinese research vessel was detected operating in the Bay of Bengal near Indian waters while attempting to conceal its presence by disabling its Automatic Identification System (AIS), according to a report by The Economic Times, citing French maritime intelligence firm Unseenlabs.

The French company conducted a 16-day satellite-based survey tracking ships through radio frequency emissions. It monitored 1,897 vessels, with 9.6 per cent showing no AIS activity, indicating attempts to avoid detection. The survey raised concerns amid increased Chinese activity in the region.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian-inspired garden earns
five awards at Hampton Court

(From left) Malcolm Anderson (RHS, head of sustainability) Clare Matterson (RHS director general), Lorraine Bishton (Subaru UK and Ireland, managing director) Andrew Ball (director, Big Fish Landscapes) Mike McMahon and Jewlsy Mathews with the medals

Asian-inspired garden earns five awards at Hampton Court

BRITISH Asians are being encouraged to take up gardening by a couple who have won a record five medals at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

“It’s a contemporary reimagining of a traditional walled garden, highlighting the British and Irish rainforests,” said Jewlsy Mathews, who was born in Britain of parents from Kerala, a southern Indian state known for its lush vegetation.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk weather

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England

iStock

England faces widespread heat alerts and hosepipe bans amid rising temperatures

Highlights:

  • Amber heat health alerts in place for large parts of England
  • Hosepipe bans announced in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex
  • Temperatures could reach 33°C over the weekend
  • Health risks rise, especially for elderly and vulnerable groups

Heat warnings in effect as UK braces for another hot weekend

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England, with temperatures expected to climb to 33°C in some areas over the weekend. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) activated the warning at 12 pm on Friday, with it set to remain in place until 9 am on Monday.

The alerts cover the East Midlands, West Midlands, south-east, south-west, East of England, and London. Additional yellow alerts were issued for the north-east, north-west, and Yorkshire and the Humber, starting from midday Friday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Essex ladybird invasion

One of the largest gatherings was filmed on a beach at Point Clear

Dee-anne Markiewicz / SWNS

Swarms of ladybirds invade Essex coastline amid soaring temperatures

Highlights:

  • Ladybird swarms reported across Essex and Suffolk coastal towns
  • Hot weather likely driving the sudden surge in population
  • Sightings include Point Clear, Shoebury, Clacton and Felixstowe
  • Similar outbreaks occurred in 1976 during another hot UK summer

Sudden surge in ladybird numbers across the southeast

Millions of ladybirds have been spotted swarming towns and villages along the Essex coast, with similar sightings stretching into Suffolk. Residents have reported unusually high numbers of the red and black-spotted insects, particularly near coastal areas, with the recent hot weather believed to be a major contributing factor.

One of the largest gatherings was filmed on a beach at Point Clear, a village near St Osyth in Essex, where the insects could be seen piling on top of each other on driftwood and plants.

Keep ReadingShow less