Labour presses ahead with tighter visa restrictions as figures come under scrutiny from government

Government ministers are considering further crackdowns on international students, blocking an exemption which currently permits those studying research Master’s courses to bring family members to the UK with them.

The government has already proposed tightening rules surrounding international student visas. In May, a government white paper said that Labour would make it “harder for universities to keep their licence to sponsor student visas by introducing tougher compliance rules”.

Since then, the government has raised concerns about student visa fraud and introduced restrictions to tackle a rising number of foreign students claiming asylum after having concluded their studies.

Surges in international enrolment in master’s courses has aroused suspicion of another form of visa fraud

New plans unveiled in November means that some migrants could have to wait up to 20 years before being allowed to settle in the UK. Now, the government’s latest proposal could mean that Master’s students will no longer be able to bring dependents to join them in the country while studying.

Originally, this exemption was in place to raise lower enrolment numbers in these courses and attract highly skilled migrants. However, surges in international enrolment on these courses has aroused suspicion that this represents exploitation of this loophole on the part of universities, and another form of visa fraud.

Universities have been warned to stop enrolment on these Master of Research (MRes) courses.

International research master’s students provide a ‘valuable pipeline of [research and development] skills’

Ben Moore, Russel Group Head of Policy

An investigation by Times Higher Education has discovered that advertising for the relevant courses emphasised the ability for students to bring dependents, with comparatively little emphasis placed on educational information.

Swelling MRes enrolment figures has been observed at only a handful of universities, causing concern that disproportionate action from the government could result in an outright ban.

This would have a pronounced impact on universities with normal enrolment figures. The Russell Group’s Head of Policy, Ben Moore, said that international MRes students provide a “valuable pipeline of [research and development] skills”.

Government monitoring of university visa figures and the tightening of restrictions on international students claiming asylum come as part of a Labour policy to reduce asylum claims.