Statistics from the federal government present that applications for essential candidates hoping to study in the UK have fallen to 34,000 in the primary three months of 2024. Two years in the past in 2022, some 46,900 utilized for essential applicant visas.
Following new authorities guidelines banning masters taught college students from bringing dependents got here into drive on January 1, complete dependent study visa applications have fallen from 23,800 in January, February and March in 2022, to six,700 in the primary three months of this yr.
The Home Office says that it’s needed to attend for the peak in pupil applications for the following educational yr in August or September to see “the full effect of recent policy changes and any other impacts”. Others disagree
It comes after the sector has warned that latest coverage adjustments the federal government has launched is already dampening urge for food to study in the UK amongst potential worldwide college students.
For Diana Beech, CEO of London Higher, the drop in applications in the primary three months of 2024 reveals “the real effect that changes to the dependant visa, the recent increase to application fees and health surcharges, and the graduate visa review are having on the confidence international students have in the UK”.
“It is now clear that the US has overtaken us as the top preferred study destination”
“Unfortunately, we don’t know how many of the ‘brightest and best’ have been deterred from applying to the UK as a result, but it is now clear that the US has overtaken us as the top preferred study destination,” she added.
A brand new survey from IDP Connect this week confirmed that the US is top among a survey of greater than 11,500 college students from 117 international locations – for the primary time forward of Australia, Canada and the UK.
Similar conclusions had been discovered earlier this yr in surveys from each aecc – which discovered New Zealand, Germany and the United States had been rising in popularity – and a survey of Indian college students carried out by Oxford International Education Services discovering US was the highest preferred destination.
London Higher, which is quickly to launch its Study London marketing campaign, says it sees no purpose why any extra adjustments needs to be imposed on the graduate route.
“We know the government had concerns about the amount of dependants entering the country and this move has reduced them,” Beech mentioned.
“We now see no purpose why there needs to be any extra adjustments imposed to the graduate route, so we hope to see a constructive advice from the MAC on this in a couple of weeks’ time.
“We also hope this will be considered fairly by government without pandering to popular politics.”