While migration to the UK is on the rise, Britain is targeting visas for student relatives

The British government said on Tuesday it would prevent thousands of international students from bringing relatives to the country as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faced mounting political pressure to curb rapidly rising immigration numbers.

Under the new measures, only postgraduate research students will be entitled to visas for dependents, ending a system where others, such as those pursuing master’s degrees, also received them.

The announcement came just two days before the release of official figures that are expected to show net migration has risen to record levels. Last year it rose to 504,000 – the highest number to date – for the 12 months between June 2021 and June 2022.

Much to the embarrassment of the ruling Conservative government, net migration is now significantly higher than before Brexit, meaning European Union citizens no longer have an automatic right to work in Britain, a move welcomed by most supporters of the Britain’s departure from the bloc. During the referendum on Brexit, its supporters pledged to take back control of the country’s borders, and many supporters of the move expected immigration to decline.

“We have seen an unprecedented increase in the number of dependent students entering the country on visas,” said Interior Minister Suella Braverman, adding that the number of dependent visas had increased by 750 percent since 2019, to a total of 136,000 people.

It was, she added in a statement, “time for us to sharpen this route to ensure we can reduce migration rates and deliver on the government’s promise to the British people to reduce net migration. “

While Mr Sunak has focused on tackling illegal immigration and stopping the flow of asylum seekers crossing the Channel from France on small boats, concerns about legal migration are also growing among his own Conservative Party legislators. Mr. Sunak was challenged on the matter last week, admitting the numbers were “too high”.

The immigration issue is proving to be a difficult one for Ms. Braverman, a Secretary of the Interior whose views on the subject are very aggressive. The number increased after Britain’s decision to admit tens of thousands of people who have fled Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Ukraine, but that only covers part of the increase.

Yet it is difficult to impose restrictions as Britain faces labor shortages and rising inflation, and pressured employers have lobbied to expand the number of visas available for jobs that have proven difficult to fill, from healthcare to fruit picking.

The measures announced on Tuesday aim to reduce migration numbers while limiting the impact on the economy.

According to government statistics, Nigeria had the highest number of dependent student visas, 60,923 in 2022, up from 1,586 in 2019. Indian nationals had the second highest number, at 38,990 against 3,135 in the same period. In total, nearly 120,000 dependent visas were issued in 2022 to the top five nationalities, namely Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Other changes announced on Tuesday include a requirement for international students to complete their studies before they can start working in Britain. In a related move, Ms Braverman also pledged to “unscrupulous education agents, who, she said, can essentially sell “immigration, not education.” The new restrictions will come into effect in January.

Students are currently not allowed to bring dependents, and many of those taking short courses of less than a year are not counted in migration statistics.

Some critics doubt that the new restrictions will significantly reduce net migration rates, while others point to a risk to the huge revenue generated by international students.

In a statement, Jamie Arrowsmith, the director of Universities UK International, representing the sector, said the announcement “brings clarity to students and universities after many months of rumor and speculation; but leaves some questions unanswered.”

“Our research shows that international students make a huge economic contribution to the UK, with a single cohort achieving a total benefit of £41.9 billion,” he added.

“We also know that the public is overwhelmingly positive about the international students we attract – simply 9 percent of people think we should discourage international students from choosing the UK”