The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Migration (APPG Migration) has launched an inquiry into the impact of the closure of the UK’s Post-Study Work (PSW) route for non-EU graduates examining the effects on universities, students and local economies.
The report will compare the UK to competing study destinations that offer PSW rights as well as feedback from stakeholders impacted by the change and pose recommendations to the government based upon its findings later this year.
“We have without doubt lost students to other markets such as Australia”
The PSW route, which allowed non-EU students seeking employment in the UK up to two years in the country after graduating, was closed by the Home Office in April 2012. Non-EU graduates can now only seek employment in the UK through employer sponsorship.
Dominic Scott OBE, chief executive of The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), which has been heavily involved in the inquiry, is hopeful findings will allow the government to recognise “the value of international students in the labour market.”
“I don’t think it will be a blanket return to the old days of any graduate can stay on, but I think we may find that a strong case is being made for say postgraduates to stay on and work,” he told The PIE News.
Paul Blomfield MP for Sheffield Central who is chairing the inquiry has cited Australia, the USA and France as markets of interest that the inquiry will be examining to understand why the UK is losing out on international student numbers to its competitors.
Scott believes Australia’s recent introduction of PSW routes that allow graduates up to two years, postgraduates up to three years and PhD students up to four years in the country after graduating have given the competitor market leveraging power.
“We have without doubt lost students to other markets such as Australia,” he confirmed.
“If you compare Australia’s offer to the UK’s offer, we’re certainly not looking as attractive and I think we are continually looking over our shoulder to see what others are doing,” he added.
The Inquiry will also look into the PSW closure’s connection to dwindling Indian and Pakistani students numbers.
“I think we may find that a strong case is being made for say postgraduates to stay on and work”
“A lot of Indian students take commercial loans to fund their study and they always hope that they’ll then be able to work to pay off their loans and without that facility, as we have seen, they have dropped by 50% over the last two years,” said Scott.
The group is seeking written submissions from Parliamentarians, universities, businesses, charities, students, lawyers, local government, employers, trades unions and other sources of relevant evidence.
Individuals who have direct experience of the impact of the changes to the visa category, as well as support organisations and advisers, are particularly invited to share their views.
The inquiry will hold evidence sessions and take written evidence until 30 September 2014 and will report in late 2014/early 2015.