Cleverly: Foreign Students Bringing Their Families to the UK to Face an End to 'Unreasonable Practice

Home Secretary James Cleverly announced a new visa policy to curtail the influx of international students bringing their families to Britain, a practice he described as "unreasonable."

The policy, effective from Monday, will significantly reduce migration by disallowing dependents on student visas, except for those pursuing postgraduate research or on government scholarships. This is expected to reduce immigration figures by the tens of thousands.

The change, initially proposed by former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, occurs after net migration reached a record high, with revised figures indicating 745,000 in the year to December 2022 and 672,000 up to June 2023.

Universities and experts voiced concerns that the move might affect the sector financially and tarnish the UK's global educational stature. Immigration Minister Tom Pursglove recognized the appeal of UK universities but cited the unsustainable migrant numbers due to the formerly lenient policies for dependants.

The government aims to scale back immigration by 300,000 annually with a series of restrictions, including increasing the minimum income for UK citizens sponsoring foreign spouses.

While initially setting the threshold at £38,700, backlash caused a reevaluation, with an incremental rise to that figure by spring 2025, creating friction within the Conservative party.

The revised strategy, deemed firm yet reasonable by the Home Office, endeavors to balance inviting top talent with safeguarding the UK's immigration system from abuse by institutions prioritizing visas over education.

However, critics like Nick Hillman of the Higher Education Policy Institute caution that the new visa limitations could drive potential students—and the economic and intellectual benefits they bring—to other countries.

While Labour supports the stricter rules, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper insists they are insufficient and do not address underlying issues within the UK labor market and economy. In the last reported year, student dependant visas amounted to 152,980.