Plans to eliminate the Graduate Route visa have UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak facing backlash: Report

Despite strong opposition from some of his ministers, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is reportedly considering restricting the UK’s post-study visa (Graduate Route visa), which permits graduates to stay and work for up to two years after their degree course, as part of efforts to curb the country’s skyrocketing legal migration figures, according to a report published on Sunday.

The publication “The Observer” claims that Sunak is facing a cabinet revolt over proposals to end the Graduate Route programme, which has been the primary determinant for Indian students selecting UK colleges since its inception in 2021.

The independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) declared that the channel was not being exploited and that it should remain because it helps UK institutions make up for financial losses on the home front. However, Downing Street is reportedly considering “further restricting or even ending” the route.

The newspaper, citing sources close to ministers who oppose scrapping the visa, claims that Sunak is now caught between the demands of right-wingers with one eye on the Tory leadership and Conservative moderates who fear the consequences of a lurch to the right on the party’s reputation and election chances.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary David Cameron, and Education Secretary Gillian Keegan of Sunak are reportedly spearheading a Cabinet revolt over the matter. It coincides with the warnings of industry and university leaders that any reduction in the post-study offer will reduce the UK’s appeal to international students, particularly Indians.

University education is one of our greatest export achievements. International student recruitment stimulates local economies, and a decline in competitiveness would jeopardise undergraduate innovation and teaching, according to Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Chief Policy and Campaigns Officer John Foster.

“Now that the MAC has determined that the Graduate Visa is serving the government’s policy goals and isn’t being abused, it’s time to end this damaging speculation and ensure the Graduate Visa’s future.”

The government has also been urged to put an end to the “toxic” uncertainty brought about by the government’s intention to examine the visa route by institutions UK (UUK), the main representative organisation for UK institutions.

UUK Chief Executive Vivienne Stern stated, “We hope and expect that the government now listens to the advice they have been given and provides categorical reassurance that the Graduate visa is here to stay.”

Professor Brian Bell, the chair of the MAC, stated that “our evidence suggests that it’s the Indian students that will be most affected by any restriction on the Graduate Route” after concluding the expedited evaluation of the plan earlier this week.

Indians received 89,200 visas between 2021 and 2023, or 42% of all grants, according to a prestigious committee that advises the UK government on immigration. The visa was cited as the “overwhelming decision point” in the applicants’ decision to pursue higher education.

“The review has resulted in a chaotic state of uncertainty. The Graduate Route should be a steady and long-term part of the UK’s immigration laws, so we implore the government to embrace the MAC’s conclusions,” National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK spokesperson Vignesh Karthik stated.

The Sunak-led government sees reducing high levels of legal and illegal migration as a priority in the year of the general election, which is anticipated in the coming months. More crackdowns are anticipated with the release of the most recent quarterly immigration statistics next week.

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