UK student visa ban on dependants comes into effect

London : International students starting courses this month in the UK will no longer be able to bring their family members, following restrictions to student visa routes coming into effect on the New Year.

A near-eightfold rise in the number of dependants joining foreign students led the UK government to announce the ban in May last year for those not studying "high-value" degrees under government plans.

The changes have also seen people banned from using the student visa as a backdoor route to work in the UK, and will see an estimated 140,000 fewer people come to the UK, the Home Office said on Tuesday.

"Yesterday, a major part of that plan came into effect, ending the unreasonable practice of overseas students bringing their family members to the UK. This will see migration falling rapidly by the tens of thousands and contribute to our overall strategy to prevent 300,000 people from coming to the UK," Home Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that net migration was 672,000 from June 2022 to June 2023. In the year ending September 2023, 152,980 visas were issued to dependants -- a more than 930 per cent rise from the 14,839 in the year ending September 2019.

The changes to student dependant rules are part of a wider package of measures to come into force this year. According to the government, it will drastically bring down the high numbers of migrants coming to the UK to sustainable levels, and crack down on those who take advantage of the flexibility of the UK’s immigration system.

As per the 2020-21 data, Indians represent the second largest cohort of international students coming to study at UK universities -- with 87,045 first-year enrolments behind China's 99,965.

In 2022, the number of Indian students (excluding dependents) who went to the UK for studies was 1,39,539, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Education experts have expressed concern about the measure, saying international students will go to competitor nations if they are discouraged from coming to the UK.

"The government remains committed to the International Education Strategy which recognises the important benefits that international students bring to the UK, including the economic contribution they make," the Home Office stated.

"This means balancing the commitment to lower overall levels of migration with ensuring those coming to the UK are highly skilled and provide the most benefit to our economy."

The government added that it will work with universities to design an alternative approach, in order to continue to attract the brightest and the best to the UK.