The Government’s decision to keep the Graduate Route in place has been warmly received by the National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK (NISAU), which also notes the substantial interaction that has occurred with industry players.
Indians are among the largest categories of people applying for student and skilled worker visas to the UK, so there was a mixed response when British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced stricter new regulations on Monday to curb the country’s skyrocketing immigration numbers.
The new regulations, which are outlined in a new Immigration White Paper, increase the typical qualifying term for British settlement status to ten years and impose more stringent English language proficiency criteria. The visa regulations for applicants and their families also incorporate evaluations of language proficiency gains.
Sanam Arora, chair of the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK, stated, “We are glad that the Graduate Route has been maintained, even though it will take less time. However, we strongly advise that its implementation and the broader reforms be handled carefully, clearly, and cooperatively.”
The group raised worries regarding the effects on Indian students, who make up the majority of those who choose the Graduate Route in order to gain international work experience after completing their degrees.
Current and potential students shouldn’t be permitted to become panicked. Who is impacted and how must be made clear immediately,” NISAU stated.
Better alignment between the pathways for students and skilled workers—another sector that is dominated by Indians and is expected to face stricter minimum wage requirements—was another demand made by the group.
The White Paper is expected to have an influence on nearly every UK visa category, with the Health and Social Care visa—which is primarily applied for by Indian and other South Asian applicants—slated to be eliminated.
According to Dr. Dora-Olivia Vicol, CEO of the UK’s Work Rights Centre, “the closure of the Health and Care Worker visa to new applicants has been framed as a response to growing exploitation, but with the numbers of visas granted to first-time entrants already dwindling, it is just a distraction.”
“Thousands of migrant care workers are already in poverty in the UK as a result of this failed visa scheme, and the government has yet to provide them with any practical assistance.” They need the freedom to transfer their abilities to companies that value and need them, not more animosity and victim-blaming, she said.
The longer time frame before migrants may assert their settlement rights in the UK was also denounced by the group as “arbitrary” since it would add injustice to an already unfriendly system.
Vicol continued, “More people will be at risk of becoming undocumented, putting them at higher risk of exploitation, and possibly even putting them in an insecure immigration status.”
Without the strict new regulations, the UK runs the risk of “becoming an island of strangers,” according to Starmer’s Downing Street speech.
“Every aspect of the immigration system, including work, family, and education, will be tightened as outlined in this White Paper to give us more control.
He promised that the measures would result in fewer migrants. “Skill requirements raised to degree level; English language requirements across all routes – including for dependents; the time it takes to acquire settled status extended from five years to ten; and enforcement tougher than ever because fair rules must be followed,” he said.
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