UK restricts foreign students including Indians to bring in dependents: Know how point-based-system works

The United Kingdom (UK) has targeted visa law in a new immigration measure to bring dependent family members of foreign students, including Indians enrolled at UK institutions.

British Home Secretary Suella Braverman said in a statement that only international students taking postgraduate courses designated as research programs would be allowed to bring their family members, including children and elderly parents, as their dependents. The new crackdown comes after figures showed around 1,36,000 visas were granted to dependents of sponsored students in the year ending December 2022, an eight-fold increase from 16,000 in 2019.

"The conditions of the graduate journey remain unchanged. We are committed to attracting the brightest and best to the UK. Our intention is therefore to work with universities over the next year to design an alternative approach that ensures the best and brightest students can bring dependents to our world-leading universities while continuing to reduce net migration,” the statement said. .

About 1,163,000 people came to the UK in 2022 and an estimated 5,57,000 left after a year, leaving 606,000 people in the country. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that the rise in immigration was driven by non-EU migrants coming to the UK to work or study.

The UK government issued 4,85,758 student visas, half of which went to Indian and Chinese nationals. In addition, 1,35,788 dependent visas were issued in 2022. To reduce the number, the government revoked the rights of international students to bring their families if they were not enrolled in graduate programs.

Applying for a visa through the points system (PBS)

The current rule for economic migrants who want to work in the UK is that they must apply for a visa through the Points Based System (PBS). This was brought in by the Labor government in 2008. Visa applicants must have enough points to qualify for a skilled work visa, which pays a standard fee ranging from £625 to £1,423. Once granted, this visa will last up to five years before the renewal process.

Points are usually earned as the job seeker goes through each step of the job, including the hiring process, ability to speak English, salary, and the appropriate skill level.