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New UK visa for Indian students?

February 11, 2016February 11, 2016Posted in UKTagged higher education, international education, Study Abroad, UK, visa

LONDON: UK may soon introduce a first-of-its-kind visa only for Indian students which will allow them to work for two years after passing out of a British university.

In what is great news for Indian students planning to study in the UK, London’s charismatic mayor Boris Johnson, who is pitted to be prime minister David Cameron’s successor will propose to the government on Tuesday the introduction of a Commonwealth work visa.

It will first be rolled out first in India and will allow Indian students going to UK to live and work in UK for two years after finishing their degree irrespective of what their salary is.

Johnson who feels that UK needs stronger visa relationship with its Commonwealth partners will say “This would be with India, in the first instance, but could be extended to other Commonwealth countries, if successful.

The second proposal to be floated by Johnson will be a special work visa for graduates in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for up to two years. Although not restricted to nationality, this would be attractive to Indian students for whom STEM degrees are popular.

“It would also help to meet a critical skills shortage in the UK in areas such as life sciences, engineering and technology,” Johnson will say.

Indian students in London were the third largest revenue generator for the city having contributed a whopping £130 million in 2014. Johnson’s recent analysis had found that Indian students paid 56 million pounds in fees and nearly 74 million pounds in living costs – the money creating and supporting 1643 jobs.

But visa changes and the scrapping of the Post Study Work Visa in 2012 which gave non-EU students the right to remain in the UK for two years after graduation has resulted in a massive dip in Indian students going to British universities to study. Johnson recently found that there has been a major fall in Indian students to UK – from 10% of all international students in London in 2010 to around 4% in 2014. Indian students coming to London and the rest of the UK have approximately halved over the last five years. In 2009/10 London welcomed 9,925 Indian students which fell to 4,790 in 2013/14.

This is the reason why Johnson will meet top representatives from London’s world famous universities at City Hall on Tuesday and put forward to the government two policy options on work opportunities following graduation which would be attractive to students from India.

Johnson said “London is indisputably the education capital of the world with more top performing universities than any other city globally. However, current restrictions on overseas students are putting off the brightest Indian minds from coming to study in the capital and it is crazy that we should be losing India’s top talent and global leaders of the future to countries like Australia and the United States. I hope we can work with London’s universities and government to address this and make sure the capital remains the leading destination for international students”.

Professor David Gann, vice-president of Imperial College said “Indian students contribute immeasurably to the intellectual, cultural and economic vitality of London. When they come to the capital, great things happen – for the UK, India and the world. Almost every day I meet innovative Indian students who are helping solve global challenges and create new opportunities: from antibiotic resistance and climate change to fintech and personalised medicine. We should be clear: London’s world-class universities’ doors are wide open to India’s brightest students”.

Professor David Sadler, vice principal (International) of Queen Mary University of London added “Either of the policy options set out by the Mayor, if adopted, would be a step in the right direction to begin to address the decline in Indian students enrolling at many of London’s universities. In offering students an opportunity to gain some relevant work experience in the UK post-graduation, they would help enable us to remain attractive to prospective students and their parents in the face of ever increasing competition for the brightest students globally”.

London attracts 100,000 international students every year, more than any other city in the world. These students contribute £3bn to the capital’s economy and help to support 37,000 jobs according to research from the Mayor’s promotional agency London and Partners.

Estimates say that by 2024, one in every three outbound higher education students across the globe is expected to be from India and China. By 2024, it is expected that there will be 3.85 million outbound mobile higher education students globally. India and China will contribute 35% of global growth during this period. Indian students will be the second highest chunk with 3.76 lakh of them travelling to enrol in foreign universities.

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Employment rate of British Indians in UK reaches highest ever

February 11, 2016February 11, 2016Posted in UKTagged international education, UK

LONDON: The employment rate of Indian community has reached a record high in Britain, according to the Britain’s labour market data collected by the government.

The employment rate for the Indian community in the UK reached 71.6% in 2014 – the highest ever.

The employment rate of Pakistanis and Bangladeshi jointly was only 51% while that of the Chinese was 56%.

This means 7,84,000 Indians are working in Britain, an increase of 32,000 from the previous year and a whopping 2,38,000 more since 2005. Of these, over 100,000 people from the Indian community run their own businesses in the UK.

As against Indians, only 5,60,000 Pakistanis and Bangladeshis were in jobs in 2014 while the number was as low as 1,35,000 among Britain’s Chinese community.

The rate at which Indians in UK are getting jobs has left all other ethnic minority groups behind. In 2006, 6,00,000 Indians aged 16 years and over were employed. The number increased to 6,38,000 in 2008, 6,71,000 in 2009 and 6,92,000 in 2010. In 2011, the numbers for the first time breached the seven lakh mark with 7,12,000 Indians in jobs in 2011 and 7,52,000 in 2013.

In an exclusive interview to TOI, Britain’s employment minister Priti Patel who is also Prime Minister David Cameron’s Indian diaspora champion said: “UK is home to a large and successful Indian diaspora community who are highly driven, educated and integrated to every aspect of British life. Their contribution to Britain is absolutely phenomenal. When PM Modi visits UK, it will fill him with great pride to see how successful British Indians are”.

Patel said, “Latest figures show that the British Indian community is highly successful when it comes to running their own businesses. The employment rate among the Indian community reached a record high last year and we also have over 100,000 people from the Indian community in UK who are running their own business. At a time when we have over 700,000 vacancies in the job market in UK, we know British Indians are excelling in every walk of life.”

The employment data shows that the employment rate among 16-64 year olds in the overall population in UK was 73% while among the ethnic minority groups it was 61.4%.

The unemployment rate among the overall population was 6% as against 11.3% among ethnic minority groups.

Indians in UK were also recently found to be the most prosperous among all minority groups.

Almost all minority groups, except the Indian community, have unemployment rates two times the national average.

Black Africans (18.3%) have the highest unemployment rate. Around 39% of Pakistani and 42% of Bangladeshi women have never worked.

Almost 1 in 4 Pakistani men are taxi drivers and half of all Bangladeshi men work in restaurants. In contrast 43% of Indians work in the highest skilled professions.

Indians are the most successful ethnic minority group with 15.4% found in class 1 of eight occupational groups, comprising higher managerial, administrative roles as well as professions like doctors and lawyers.

Estimates say that almost one in three people in Britain will be from an ethnic minority by 2050. Non-white people will make up between 20 and 30% of the population by 2050. The current share is around 14%.

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Scotland’s publically funded colleges support re-introduction of post study work visa in UK

February 11, 2016February 11, 2016Posted in UKTagged Scotland, UK, visa

A call for the re-introduction of the post study work visa has seen a massive build up across Scotland which will specifically help Indian students wanting to study in the UK.

A statement of support for reintroducing the visa to Scotland has gathered 257 signatures, including all 25 of Scotland’s publically funded colleges, the sector body Colleges Scotland, Universities Scotland, the representative body for Scotland’s 19 Higher Education Institutions and representatives from 64 businesses.

The move comes just before the first full meeting of the cross party steering group on post study work, which is examining ways to bring a post study route to Scotland.

The UK Tier 1 (Post-study Work) visa was abolished by the UK government in April 2012 which has led to a 50% dip in Indian students visiting British universities for higher education.

The number of new entrants to Scottish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) from India fell by 63% between 2010-11 and 2013-14.

At present, over 2000 Indian students study across Scotland.

A study by Strathclyde University estimated that international students contribute £188 million to universities in Scotland directly, with a further £321m to the wider Scottish economy.

Scotland’s minister for Europe and international development Humza Yousaf said the Scottish government will continue to push Westminster to reintroduce the visa, “despite their disappointing lack of engagement on the issue”. “We have been working for a return of the post study work route to allow talented students to remain and contribute to the Scottish economy for several months, but have seen a disappointing lack of engagement from UK government. Signatories from all of Scotland’s colleges have backed our statement of support,” Yousaf said.

In an exclusive interview to TOI, Yousaf had said Scotland pioneered the Fresh Talent Working in Scotland Scheme visa in 2006 which enabled students from Scottish institutions to remain in Scotland for two years to work and gain further experience.

This scheme ran from 2005 to 2008, when it was subsumed into the UK-wide Tier 1 (Post-study Work) visa.

Yousaf told TOI “Scotland needs immigration. It needs bright students from India to come and study in its 19 world class universities and then stay back and work to help develop its economy. Scotland’s population is rapidly ageing and hence leading to an acute shortage of skilled workers. We need bright immigrants from India to fill in”.

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Bring back the post-study work visa – Hon Theresa May MP

February 11, 2016February 11, 2016Posted in Study Abroad, UKTagged Study Abroad, UK, visa

Don’t force our international students out of the UK

We are calling on the UK Government to bring back the post-study work visa or an alternative scheme so that international students can continue to work in the UK after they have finished their study.

International students build their lives in the cities that they study in and by being here make the UK richer culturally, socially, intellectually and financially. Up until 2012 international students studying in the UK could apply for a post-study work visa. This enabled them to work for up to two years after they graduated, meaning that the UK directly benefited from the skills and knowledge the students gained during their degree.

The post study visa scheme was closed by the current UK Government as part of a drive to cut immigration. This is having a detrimental impact on higher education, the economy and society as international students choose to go elsewhere because they feel unwelcome.

We are calling for the retroduction of the post study visa because:

– Current policies are making our international students feel unwelcome in the UK.

– Those aspiring to study in the UK are being discouraged from applying and the UK is losing out. Nineteen per cent of non-EU students would not recommend the UK as a place to study for a friend or relative (this is as high as 34, 36 and 38% for students from India, Nigeria and Pakistan respectively). [1]

– The UK Parliament’s All Party Group on Migration has called on the Government to open a new route for work in the UK after graduation. [2]

– Seventy-five per cent of the general public think that international students should be able to study and work in the UK after graduation. [3]

– As well as paying substantial tuition fees, international students support local businesses in the towns and cities in which they live, and bring in an estimated GBP 7 billion to the UK economy each year. [4]

– International students make our communities more culturally and socially rich.

– International students help UK students to develop into globally aware and culturally literate graduates.

– The UK risks falling behind other countries in the international higher education market. Since 2010 the number of non-EU students starting a course in the UK has grown by 3% (and decreased two years in a row). By contrast the number of new international enrolments in the United States between 2010 – 2014 grew by 26%. [5]

Support our international students and sign our petition!

[1] NUS Survey of International Student’s Perceptions towards the Immigration Bill, National Union of Students (NUS), 2015
[2] UK Post-study Work Opportunities for International Students, All Party Parliamentary Group on Migration, 2014-2015
[3] Universities UK
[4] ibid
[5] ibid

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Scottish educators aiming for expanded post-graduation work rights

February 8, 2016February 11, 2016Posted in Study Abroad, UKTagged higher education, Scotland, Study Abroad, UK, visa

We all now know that the September 2014 Scottish referendum ended with a majority vote (55.3%) against the proposition that Scotland establish itself as an independent country. Even so, the campaign leading up to the referendum ballot revealed some profound political tensions, and a strong drive on the part of Scotland to gain greater autonomy within the United Kingdom. Indeed, the referendum result, supported as it was by assurances from the UK government that it would transfer additional powers to the Scottish Parliament, has set the stage for a further, legislated devolution of power to Edinburgh.

This process was formalised with the formation of the Smith Commission immediately in the wake of the referendum. The commission filed its report in November 2014, and among the many issues noted for further consideration was an item of particular interest to international educators:

“The Scottish and UK governments should work together to explore the possibility of introducing formal schemes to allow international higher education students graduating from Scottish further and higher education institutions to remain in Scotland and contribute to economic activity for a defined period of time.”

In essence, this recommendation anticipates a distinct visa process for international graduates of Scottish institutions. At present, foreign students in Scotland must apply for a visa via the UK Home Office, thereby placing Scotland-bound students under the same increasingly restrictive policies that apply to all students hoping to study in the UK.

It wasn’t that long ago, however, that Scotland operated a distinct scheme for post-graduation work opportunities. Under the “Fresh Talent” programme, international students were able to stay in Scotland and work for up to two years after completing their academic programmes. “But [Fresh Talent] was scrapped in 2012,” notes The Scotsman. “Now, if students want to stay, they must re-apply under the more restrictive Tier 2 visa system.”

In its formal submission to the Smith Commission, Universities Scotland set out the case for devolution of immigration powers to the Scottish Parliament:

“The university sector’s most urgent ‘ask’ from a limited devolution of immigration policy is the capacity to re-introduce a two-year post-study work entitlement for international students graduating from Scottish higher education institutions.

This could be limited to work entitlement in Scotland only, which would therefore have no impact on the management of migration totals in the rest of the UK. Such a move would deliver a positive benefit for Scotland, which has a strong cross-party consensus on the value of high-skill immigration. Furthermore, strict limitations on the location of work entitlement would respect the different views on immigration in parts of the rest of the UK and the UK government’s right to continue with its immigration policy.”

In its May 2015 report on the devolution process, a special committee of the Scottish Parliament revisited the issue and noted, “The Committee reinforces the recommendation of the Smith Commission…and believes that this important issue should be addressed through discussion between the two governments in advance of the introduction of any new bill after the UK General Election.”

The outcomes of any such discussions are not yet clear but the UK government introduced its proposed devolution legislation, the “Scotland Bill 2015/16”, on 28 May 2015. The bill continues to work its way through the legislative process with various amendments up to this writing.

It is clear, however, that the political sentiment with respect to student migration is markedly different among policymakers in Edinburgh than is the case in London. Alastair Sim, Director of Universities Scotland, said earlier this year: “Scottish universities need action from government to improve its post-study work offer. We are losing out in key markets as our competitors take steps to attract more international student talent.”

Alasdair Allan, the Minister for Learning, put it even more bluntly in a recent interview with The Scotsman: “The Scottish government is not on the same page as the UK government – we deplore irresponsible, negative rhetoric on immigration.”

Trending the wrong way

The issue of post-graduation work rights for international students finds its force in the recent trend of declining or falling enrolment for non-European Union students in Scottish institutions.

Recent-year trends in Scotland mirror those in the UK as a whole. The number of non-EU students in Scotland grew marginally in 2013/14 (1% growth compared to 2012/13), after registering a modest decline the year before.

Also mirroring the broader trend in the UK, first-year enrolments from key growth and emerging markets have fallen off sharply for Scotland over the last couple of years.

Source countries such as China, India, and Nigeria all declined between 2012/13 and 2013/14 – by -2%, -12%, and -9% respectively. For the moment, some of those losses have been offset by countervailing gains from other markets, such as Canada (10% increase) and Thailand (+15%), but the softening enrolment from some of the world’s largest and most important education markets has certainly been alarming for educators and other stakeholders in Scotland.

The £312 million question

The latest Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) numbers indicate that 28,610 non-EU students were enrolled in Scottish higher education in 2013/14. A recent economic impact study by PwC in Scotland puts the number somewhat higher at 34,670 students for the 2014 calendar year (and for all levels of study).

PwC calculates the gross economic impact of non-EU enrolment in Scotland at £312 million per year (roughly US$481 million), with a net benefit of £257 million to the Scottish economy.

Lindsey Paterson is the consultancy’s higher education specialist in Scotland and she has said of the analysis, “Our Scottish universities and colleges are competing in a global marketplace and it’s vital that government supports them in attracting the brightest academic talent. With a lot at stake, not just for the Scottish and UK economy but for the future growth and prosperity of our higher education establishments, it’s clear that more needs to be done to inform and improve immigration policies and targets.”

PwC has also argued that the UK would be better served by classifying international students as temporary visitors as opposed to migrants, and that opening up opportunities for international students to stay and work after graduation would improve Britain’s competitive position in international education markets.

Scottish educators, meanwhile, are forging ahead with their own internationalisation and recruitment efforts. The University of Edinburgh, for example, has announced plans to increase the proportion of international students in its student body from a reported 41% in 2012/13 to 50% over the long term. Roughly two-thirds of the university’s 9,000+ international students are from outside of the EU at present, and it aims to add by “at least 2,000” more students from beyond the European Union by 2016.

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