Graduate visa: UK plans to scan ‘best and brightest’ minds through stricter language test for college admission

The UK government plans to enforce stricter English language proficiency requirements for international students on the Graduate Visa. For this, students or applicants planing to study in UK universities will need to pass mandatory language tests to remain in the country. This measure aims to ensure that only the "best and brightest" candidates are selected.

A UK government spokesperson said,  “We are committed to attracting the best and brightest to study at our world-class universities whilst preventing the abuse of our immigration system.”

“The British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak thinks there are more measures to come, as the Cabinet is determined to reduce net migration rates, which last year reached a historic high,” he further added. 

The Cabinet also plans to enforce stricter regulations on universities and colleges with high dropout rates. Additionally, the Home Office will tackle cases involving recruiting agents who exploit students by offering wages below the minimum wage and steering them away from their chosen fields of study.

Effort to reduce net migration in the UK: Sunak

Talks for new rules follow plans of PM Sunak to ban British universities from accepting certain postgraduate courses, in an effort to reduce net migration in the UK, which is highly driven by international students.

The Graduate Route, which is a post-study visa, allows graduates to stay and work in the UK for up to two years after finalising their studies. The government estimates that this visa has attracted many migrants to the UK, with them often misusing their benefits.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) had earlier reported that the UK reached a record high of 764,000 migrants in 2022, and in 2023, net migration dropped by 10 percentage points to 685,000, which is still high as compared to pre-pandemic levels. 

More than four out of 10 people coming to the country for employment purposes in 2023 came from India or Nigeria, ONS pointed out