The government has proposed tougher rules on international student recruitment, including cracking down on “rogue recruitment agents,” in a bid to tackle visa abuse.
Universities would be mandated to sign up to a “stringent framework for agents” and could lose their licence to sponsor overseas students if they fail to comply with the measures, the Home Office and Department for Education announced on Thursday.
Higher education institutions could lose their ability to sponsor overseas students if they “accept international students who then fail to pass our visa checks, enrol or complete their courses,” the departments said.
The proposals would ensure that the UK’s university sector “is used for education, not as a gateway to immigration, with options to go further remaining under consideration,” the government said.
Financial and Language Requirements
Students will also be subject to tighter rules, including the raising of financial maintenance requirements so that “international students will have to prove their financial self-sufficiency.”The government said that it was already reviewing English language assessments, saying it aimed to standardise independent assessments, “ensuring all international students are equipped with the skills to understand their course materials – or they shouldn’t expect a place at a UK university.”
Restrictions would also be placed on distance or online learning, meaning all overseas students “predominantly undertaking face-to-face courses.”
Home Secretary James Cleverly said that “we must go further” to ensure immigration routes “aren’t abused.”
Graduate Route Kept ‘Under Review’
In March, Mr. Cleverly ordered the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to conduct a review of the Graduate route, which allows overseas students to stay in the UK for two to three years after graduation unsponsored, over concerns that some demand for study visas was being driven “more by a desire for immigration rather than education.”However, the immigration advisers raised concerns that some agents recruiting prospective students overseas were “mis-selling” British universities.
The Home Office said on Thursday that the Graduate route would be maintained but “kept under review,” adding that the government “remains concerned that the route is not attracting the highest earners who contribute to our economy.”
Chief Executive of the Russell Group Tim Bradshaw welcomed the news that the Graduate route remains open.
Mr. Bradshaw continued in a statement that he supports the government’s proposed regulations, “such as additional regulations on agents,” which he said “will help to protect the quality and integrity of the UK’s education offer and we are ready to work with Government and colleagues across the sector to implement these.”
Universities Must Revise Business Models
Last week, the Office for Students (OfS) published a report advising universities to review their funding and business models to avoid closure. The independent regulator for higher education estimated that by academic year 2026–2027, nearly two-thirds of institutions will be in deficit.The OfS also warned against universities’ reliance on overseas fees for funding, noting there is a particular vulnerability where student recruitment is predominantly from a single country.
The peer made the remarks in response to a question on the sustainability of higher education institutions, as a growing number face financial pressures.
Baroness Barran said that universities are independent from government and it was up to them to manage their finances. However, she stated that government would “have a role to play in making sure that student interests are protected in the case of a university failing.”
