Sunak's immigration clampdown to affect thousands of Indian, foreign nationals studying in UK

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government on Tuesday announced a number of overseas student curbs to slash immigration. The move is set to affect hundreds of thousands of Indian youngsters studying in the United Kingdom.

UK's latest immigration curbs: What do they mean?

Under the new proposals, the individuals enrolled in postgraduate courses designated as research programmes will be able to bring dependents to the United Kingdom while they study.

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Individuals enrolled in postgraduate courses without the status of 'research programmes' will no longer be able to bring dependents to the UK.

What does it mean for those working part-time jobs?

A number of overseas students often take the route of part-time jobs to support their expenses. More often than not, such jobs are not payroll jobs and the students get paid handouts from their employers in return for the jobs they do.

The part-time job status for overseas students remains ambiguous without any policy-based clarity from Downing Street so far.

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But it has been clearly stated that overseas students will be prevented from switching "out of the student route into work routes" before their studies have been completed.

There will also be "improved and more enforcement activity" and a clamp down on "unscrupulous agents" using education as a cover for immigration, according to a government statement.

UK immigration curbs: Are they needed?

After a drop during the pandemic, net migration has been steadily on the rise in the United Kingdom and is reportedly expected to hit a record high this year.

The Conservative Party, despite a flurry of prime ministerial replacements, has remained constant on its hardline stance to focus on limiting the number of international immigrants.

Official figures published last November estimated net migration to June 2022 at just over 500,000.

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Some 136,000 visas were issued to dependants of international students last year -- up eight-fold from the 16,000 in 2019, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said in a written statement to parliament.

The minister said overseas students played an important part in supporting the UK economy.

But she added that it should not come at the cost of the government's "commitment to the public to lower overall migration and ensure that migration to the UK is highly skilled and therefore provides the most benefit".

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Braverman said the proposals struck the "right balance" and would likely see net migration "fall to pre-pandemic levels in the medium term".

Uncontrolled immigration from the European Union was one of the main battlegrounds of the Brexit referendum in 2016 which saw the UK leave the EU.

(With inputs from agencies)

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