A new report from the think-tank, Onward, has proposed a radical overhaul of the UK’s higher education system.
The report recommends that only top-performing universities should be eligible to sponsor international students and receive public subsidies, while others would be redirected to provide skills training. This means reducing the number of institutions authorized to issue visas, prioritizing those with the highest Ucas tariff scores.
This restructuring, endorsed by former Downing Street Chief of Staff, Nick Timothy, and former Education Secretary, Michael Gove, aims to address Britain’s economic challenges.
It also recommends limiting dependants to those studying funded PhDs and eliminating the graduate visa, encouraging international graduates to apply for skilled worker visas instead.
The debate over immigration in the UK has entangled international students’ recruitment, with restrictions such as the ban on master’s students bringing dependants contributing to a decline in international students numbers this year.
This downturn has triggered cost-cutting measures across the sector. As the issue gains further attention in anticipation of an upcoming general election by January 2025, leaked Home Office figures reported by the Daily Mail reveal a significant increase in asylum claims from individuals on student visas.
The Onward report advocates various reforms such as:
This proposal reflects a desire within certain factions of the Conservative Party to control student visa numbers and achieve a sustainable level of net migration, particularly in anticipation of the upcoming report from the Migration Advisory Committee the Migration Advisory Committee report.
