UK Government Commissions Graduate Visa Route Review

The UK Government is considering whether the current Graduate visa route is achieving its goals and supporting the country’s reputation for world-class higher education.

As a result, on 11 March 2024, the Home Secretary commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to carry out a rapid review of the route, with a tight 14 May 2024 deadline.  

Graduate route background

The unsponsored Graduate route was launched in July 2021 to allow graduates of UK universities the opportunity to remain in the UK for two years after graduation (or three years for PhD students).

The route was launched to attract and retain international students who may contribute positively to the UK economy. To be eligible, students must have completed a degree with a higher education provider with a track record of compliance and have held valid leave under the Student route. The Home Secretary’s letter commissioning the review asks the MAC, amongst other things, to assess whether the route is open to abuse, and achieving its goal of attracting the best graduates to the UK.

Graduate route assessment

In his letter to the MAC, the Home Secretary noted that early data from 2023 suggests that only 23% of those on the Graduate route switched to Skilled Worker visas, with only 16% earning more than £30,000 per year and many going into care work. He has requested the MAC to provide evidence of abuse of the route and whether it is fit for purpose.

The MAC has further been asked to identify the demographics of individuals accessing student and graduate visas, questioning who is using the route and from which universities they are graduating. The MAC review will ask whether those on the route contribute positively to the UK economy.

The overall aim is to assess whether the Graduate route enables UK universities to attract the brightest international students and allows the UK to successfully retain talent without undermining the integrity of the UK higher education system.

However, the review has attracted criticism from the MAC itself as the 10-week deadline leaves little time to conduct a full review. Professor Brian Bell, Chair of the MAC, explained that the tight deadline will limit the quality and quantity of evidence they can provide, and asked the Home Office to provide evidence by 26 March 2024. It is common for the MAC to be given much longer to review and report.

The UK Government has had an ongoing struggle with the Graduate visa and its predecessor. In 2012 the Tier 1 Post Study Work visa (which was very similar to the current Graduate route) was removed by the Home Secretary, who had concerns about abuse of the student visa system and the number of graduates remaining in the UK in what the Government viewed as unskilled roles.

Post-Brexit, this policy was reversed, and the Graduate route was introduced. The current Home Secretary’s instruction to the MAC appears to broadly echo the events of 2012. This suggests that the issue of how to encourage the best international students to the UK by providing them with a post-study work route – whilst alleviating concern over the overall number of international students – is a circular conundrum for the Government to which an answer has yet to be found.

Looking ahead

It is important to mention that alterations to the Graduate visa pathway could affect the opportunities accessible to potential international students post-graduation. Should the route be terminated, it could lead to fewer students coming to the UK.

The Graduate visa currently allows students to secure jobs without the need for sponsorship, allowing individuals to gain invaluable experience and allowing employers to trial candidates before committing to the high costs associated with sponsorship.

With the impending deadline for the MAC’s review, Fragomen will closely evaluate any potential modifications and their consequences.

Need to know more?

For further information regarding the UK immigration system, please contact Managers Alisa Bartholdy and Alex Hood at [email protected] and [email protected], respectively.

This blog was published on 2 May 2024, and due to the circumstances, there are frequent changes. To keep up to date with all the latest updates on global immigration, please visit our dedicated COVID-19 site, subscribe to our alerts and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.