Longer work visa could tempt more foreign students to UK, survey finds | International students

International students would be more likely to consider studying in the UK if they were allowed to stay and work for three years instead of two, a survey suggests.

Foreign students have been able to stay on and work in the UK for two years after completing their course since 2019, when the government reinstated the two-year post-study work visa after years of pressure from universities.

Vivienne Stern, the director of Universities UK International, said chancellors wanted the government to review whether the two-year visa forms were “a barrier to employing international graduates”, and ensure the UK had a “competitive post-study work offer”.

The change would bring the UK closer to Australia’s approach, which offers overseas graduates a post-study work visa of up to four years – depending on their course and level of study. In 2018, Australia overtook the UK as the second most popular destination for international students after the US.

A survey of 100,000 international students by the education analysts QS showed that two-thirds would be more likely to consider studying in the UK if the post-study work visa was extended.

The two-year visa was revoked by the then home secretary, Theresa May, in 2012 in an attempt to curb immigration. However, the survey suggested fewer than a fifth of the students would plan to stay beyond the three years.

Instead of reducing immigration, universities warned that removing the post-study work visa in 2012 had harmed international student recruitment. Since it was reinstated, institutions say they have been able to reach a target of recruiting 600,000 international students a year a decade early.

As well as providing an important revenue stream for UK universities, a recent survey estimated international students benefited the UK economy by £26bn every year.

The report urges the government to review policy and restrictions “to help stimulate further growth in the sector after the pandemic and position post-Brexit Britain as an equally welcoming destination for international students as its key competitors”.

An extension would be especially appealing to Indian students, with nearly three-quarters (73%) saying three years would make them a lot more likely to consider the UK. Numbers of Indian students choosing to study in the UK fell dramatically after the abolition of the two-year post-study work visa in 2012, and have quadrupled since it was reinstated.

Enabling more Indian students to study at British institutions is a priority for the Indian government, and higher education is expected to feature prominently in an upcoming UK ministerial visit to India on 6 June to discuss a trade deal.

A Home Office spokesperson said post-study work offers across countries were not “directly comparable and we think ours strikes the right balance”.

She said: “Those on the graduate route can stay in the UK and look for work at any skill level for a period of two years, or three years for those with a PhD, and switch into skilled work routes if they find a suitable job.”