UK working on Policy to increase post-work opportunities for foreign students

UK working on Policy to increase post-work opportunities for foreign students

In the last three year, the number of Indian students studying in the UK has almost doubled with over 21,000 student visas issued to Indians till March 2019. UK is also working on policies through which foreign students can stay and work post-study. All this to make the UK an attractive destination for Indian students. As of now, Canada and Australia attracting the international students with their easy work and study norms making them a more preferred destination for study among the Indian students. The Ministry of External Affairs said in parliament that as many 7,52,725 Indian students are studying abroad, with most of them in the US. Canada and Australia take the second and the third spot respectively. However, the number of Indian students registered an increase of 40 percent in the UK over the last year. “Of the Indian students who applied for visas, 96 percent were successful,” said British High Commissioner Dominic Asquith. Canada introduced its Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP) in 2006 which allow students to gain work experience which qualified for the permanent residency. Same is the case with Australia’s point-based immigration policy. UK in 2011 announced the abolition of the post-study work rights and the number of Indian students went down from 38,677 in 2011 to 16,655 in 2016. According to a study done in 2011, foreign students generated more than 25 billion pounds for the UK economy which in turn give boost regional jobs and local businesses. Now, the British government is working to increase the number of months for which foreign students can stay back and work in the UK. "There is a proposal to increase the post-study work rights from the current four months to 12 months," said Tom Birtwistle, Director North India, British Council. The UK government is also launching a #GetReadyForClass campaign next month which aims to guide international students through the application process and encourage them to apply early.

source https://www.brainbuxa.com/education-news/uk-working-on-policy-to-increase-post-work-opportunities-for-foreign-students-9634