UK limits overseas students from bringing family members to country

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - In a bid to curb migration rates, the British government on Tuesday introduced new regulations limiting international students from bringing their family members to the UK.

Ahead of the upcoming release of migration figures on Thursday, UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman unveiled a package of new restrictions on foreign students aimed at curbing net migration.

Under the proposed regulations only a restricted number of students studying in the UK will be able to bring their partners or children with them to the country.

The opportunity to bring dependents will be reserved for those enrolled in postgraduate research programs, recognized for their notable contributions to academia.

Foreign students will no longer be able to switch out of the student route into work routes for staying in the UK before their studies have been completed, it was further said.

There will be a comprehensive assessment of the maintenance requirement for both students and their dependents as well as a strong crackdown on "unscrupulous" education providers "who make use of inappropriate applications to sell immigration, not education."

These changes will be implemented for students commencing their courses from January 2024.

In a statement, Braverman emphasized that the immigration statistics revealed an unexpected surge in the number of dependents accompanying international students to the UK.

In the year ending December 2022, approximately 136,000 visas were granted to dependents of sponsored students, marking an eightfold increase from the 16,000 visas issued in 2019 when the government committed to reducing net migration.