Changes to immigration rules announced by Starmer

[OneAmberFinch]

Full white paper here is extensive and announces changes to all avenues of migration - basically their approach to resolving the issues of massively increased migration from 2019-2023/4.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6821aec3f16c0654b19060ac/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-white-paper.pdf

And Starmer's commentary on the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/ce810e3z6dkt

Handful of headline changes: default timeline to get ILR to go to 10 years instead of 5; abolishing new care worker visas; raising skills threshold for Skilled Workers back up to graduate level; increasing minimum grades required for student visas; various bits and pieces around English language requirements among several other policies

Sorry some posters feel unwelcome. It’s not true, you really, really are!

Response to the immigration rules in the Higher ed sector are really interesting though. I was already worried about the lost income, lost respect and diminished research profile at our Universities following the double impact of Brexit, and then the spouse rules. But I hadn’t thought through the flip side of the other countries benefitting from our lost student base. I did a bit of research into which countries are likely to benefit the most. A Brunel university representative was quoted as saying US, Canada, Australia and UK still lead the field but apparently, Finland, Italy, France and Germany are becoming more and more popular with international students. Also a rise in international student interest in Belgium, Turkey and Malta – especially for medical training.

We have been holding our leading role in terms of research quality but for how much longer as the pool dwindles?

Short sightedness, but I guess the silver lining is that sadly maybe these policies really will help keep floating voters away from Reform?

And now Trump is at it too trying to ban c7,000 students from Harvard including Princess Elisabeth of Belgium. More savvy countries are going to have huge boosts to their higher ed income.

apparently, Finland, Italy, France, and Germany are becoming more and more popular with international students.

In the past few months, I've met three different research groups at university. One group is researching biomaterials to cure blindness, other research causes of T1 diabetes and the third was about investigating what genes cause melanoma.

The majority of the research group members were from outside of Finland. I'd say if there were 15 people in every research group, at least 10 were from elsewhere. India, Pakistan, UK, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Spain. And I spoke with one of the professors and she said that they're starting to attract more and more talent now that USA is less desirable and actively deporting and detaining researchers for doing the wrong type of research. She was very excited about the propects.

I've recently had the opportunity to review the latest statistics on long-term international migration, published just days ago by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The findings are quite striking, and they challenge the common perception that asylum seekers constitute only a small fraction of immigration to the UK.
Key statistics that caught my attention include:

• The net migration figure from 2021 to 2024 stands at 11 million, with 1.2 million of these individuals being asylum seekers, including those who arrived by small boats. This represents 10% of the total net migration figure.
• 13% of those granted settled status in 2023 and 2024 did so through the asylum route. Furthermore, these individuals are typically eligible to apply for citizenship after just one year.

These numbers suggest that asylum seekers make up a more significant proportion of immigration than is often assumed. It's also worth considering that not all visa holders, particularly those on work visas, may be interested in pursuing citizenship, as they sort after settlement for the freedom to change employers without being tied to their sponsor. However, refugees, on the other hand, are highly likely to take up citizenship, with nearly 100% doing so.
As a result, it's estimated that 1-2 in every 10 new UK citizens will be eligible to access social housing, pensions, and Universal Credit immediately. Compared to individuals on work or study visas, asylum seekers do represent a significant financial burden on the government, especially given the current funding challenges.

I hope that the forthcoming the white paper, will address the issue of refugee citizenships and consider applying any changes retrospectively. However, I'm unsure whether such measures should also apply to work and study visas. Many highly capable individuals hold these visas but may not yet qualify for the "Global Talent T1 visa" or may have been deterred from applying due to the expensive and often subjective application process.
These talented individuals remain highly competitive and in demand globally, and they have the potential to drive growth in the UK economy while keeping UK research competitive on the world stage. I am concerned that any unfavourable changes to the visa system could inadvertently drive these talent away.

Spot on. It's deeply frustrating when people try to extrapolate their experiences working with top researchers in the field, to taught masters programmes at third-tier universities with easy entry criteria and even easier grading.

I'm not deeply familiar with the UK's universities, but I would probably argue that Coventry University (source of figures cited upthread about why international students are so critical) itself might be one of the universities that should convert back to being a technical college / engineering school only.

hahaha yes, I once had a team mate complain about immigrants like me and my husband being a drain on the system. We were both higher rate tax payers, team mate was self employed cash in hand to commit benefit fraud and would regularly moan I had been given a flat in an expensive area of Hackney. It was odd really as I wasn’t aware that someone else was paying my mortgage or that someone else had saved the deposit.

Nailed it.

Another erudite post that sums it up nicely.