Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending the opening of the Festival of the Professions – an annual employment‑focused series at City St George’s, University of London, showcasing its deep alignment with business, practice and the professions.
I went along expecting to talk to students about how to break into policy careers via roles in think tanks, charities, advocacy groups and the many organisations that quietly shape the space between government and society. But it quickly became clear that students are not struggling with confidence or networks. They are struggling with the UK’s immigration system – and, increasingly, the politics driving it.
Money talks
All the students who approached me were international students hoping to start their careers in public policy. Yet none asked me how to stand out, how to build a portfolio or what skills matter most. Instead, they asked me outright whether there is any point trying to enter UK policy work if salaries do not typically meet the skilled worker visa threshold.
And they are right to be concerned. The current threshold stands at £41,700, or £33,400 for those classed as “new entrants”. These figures sit far beyond the starting salaries offered by many think tanks, charities and research organisations – and, in many cases, also universities themselves.
Long-term planning
The students’ worries left me with a heavy dose of political realism. While the Graduate Route allows international students to remain in the UK for up to 18 months after completing their studies with no minimum salary requirement, this offers little of the long‑term stability they need to build meaningful careers.
Today’s students know perfectly well that salaries in social‑value sectors are unlikely to ‘catch up’ to Home Office thresholds within that timeframe. Neither is this about entitlement. Entry‑level policy roles reward candidates richly in purpose, influence and experience, but they do not typically reward them richly in pay.
Market forces
When the current Labour government adjusted visa rules in July 2025, salary floors rose sharply – just as the UK graduate labour market was weakening. This month’s ONS figures confirm youth unemployment for 18-24‑year‑olds has risen to 14%, the highest in five years. As a result, international graduates from UK universities now face the double burden of a tightening labour market and visa rules that stack the odds against them.
We often hear that Gen Z cares too much about salary levels and job titles. But when £41,700 is the minimum price of stability, progression and a route to settlement, these young people are not being unreasonable
We often hear that Gen Z cares too much about salary levels and job titles. But when £41,700 is the minimum price of stability, progression and a route to settlement, these young people are not being unreasonable. They are simply being realistic and doing what it takes to stay in the country that trained them.
Political headwinds
However, changing these circumstances will not be easy. UK universities may be working hard to build trust across the political spectrum, but the politics of immigration – especially student immigration – is hardening. The Home Office is already scrutinising rising MRes enrolments at universities not historically known for them. Plus, the stakes rose dramatically this month when Suella Braverman was appointed Reform UK’s spokesperson for education.
Lessons from history
Braverman’s record on student immigration is well known. She has consistently questioned the value of certain degree programmes and, as Home Secretary, was widely reported to be considering ending post‑study work rights altogether. Now, with a dedicated platform in a rapidly ascendant populist party, she is ideally placed to keep those arguments alive – shaping the national narrative, influencing public attitudes and constraining the political room for manoeuvre.
While it is not a given that Reform UK will enter government at the next election, its growing popularity will ensure its rhetoric pulls immigration policy in one direction in the years ahead: inward‑looking, restrictive and suspicious of international students’ intentions. For a UK government claiming to champion a “balanced, internationally competitive, skills‑driven” immigration system, this shift will move the goalposts further away and narrow the political space for significant policy reform.
The road ahead
So where does that leave the UK higher education sector? First, universities will need to change their approach. They cannot keep selling the narrative of a welcoming post‑study environment without acknowledging the constraints that now define it.
Second, universities must be clearer about the gap between message and reality: yes, graduates can stay in the short-term after their studies, but many will struggle to stay longer unless they can pivot into sectors that can afford to pay them at or above the required threshold.
Third, the sector must become more politically assertive. If we genuinely believe international graduates enrich the UK, then we need to say so. If we believe British civil‑society organisations should be able to hire global talent to further our ‘soft power’ and impact, then we must fight for visa structures that make that possible. And if we believe the UK benefits from the global alumni it trains, then we must continue to challenge the framing that casts international students as burdens.
Stark reminder
The students I met at the Festival of the Professions reminded me that they still see the UK as a place worthy of their contribution. They want to shape policy, strengthen communities and improve public life – both here in Britain and ultimately back home as future changemakers.
The question now is whether our political system – buffeted by populist pressure, economic strain and hardening immigration narratives – will let them. If we really want a highly skilled and globally engaged workforce, then we must work harder than ever to dismantle the policy barriers that are pushing talent away.
