More visa changes could cause ‘irreversible harm’ to UK sector

Three-quarters of prospective international students are concerned by recent UK government policy changes, according to a survey that warns that further restrictions could cause “irreversible harm” to the sector.

In a bid to reduce net migration levels, the government, which has already restricted overseas students’ ability to bring dependants with them into the UK, has also commissioned a review of the UK’s graduate visa route.

A report by student recruitment firm AECC, which included responses from more than 8,000 students from across 124 countries, suggests that the policies are already affecting demand, and that further changes could see the UK lose out to its rivals.

Of international students who had selected the UK as their preferred study destination, 40 per cent were extremely concerned by recent policy changes, and a further 35 per cent were somewhat concerned.

The survey of students, which was not widely distributed in China, also showed that if the graduate visa duration was reduced from the current two years, which the sector has already strongly warned against, almost 50 per cent of the UK’s prospective learners would choose another nation as their study destination.

Jake Foster, chief commercial officer of AECC, told Times Higher Education that such a decision could lead to the “total collapse” of a sector that is already increasingly reliant on tuition fees from abroad.

“Changes to the graduate visa policy affecting international students could cause irreversible harm to the UK’s higher education system,” he said.

“Modifications to graduate visa rules could result in thousands of job losses and force prominent UK institutions to drastically reduce their size or shut down.”

With many institutions already showing signs of financial strife, Mr Foster said, anything that affects their intake further could “destabilise” a number of universities and constitute a “critical risk” to the sector on the whole.

Across all prospective destinations, the AECC study also showed that more than 70 per cent of students intended to return to their home country after their studies and any postgraduate work experience.

And almost four in five of them viewed post-study rights as being extremely important, while a further one in five viewed them as moderately so.

Mr Foster said the ability to work after graduation was essential for international students.

“If the government alters the work rights of international student graduates, it could be a catastrophic day for UK higher education,” he added.

The AECC found that in an “intense” global competition for international students, the UK may already have slipped down the pecking order.

Of the 1,280 prospective students who said their preferred destination had changed in the past 12 months, appetite to study in New Zealand, Germany and the US appeared to be rising since the previous survey in 2022.

By contrast, demand had fallen for Canada, the UK and Australia.

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com