Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 77
77
The duration of the Student visa depends on course length but, at degree level, can...
Conclusion
The duration of the Student visa depends on course length but, at degree level, can last for up to five years.180 It usually costs £348 to apply for a Student visa from outside the UK or £475 to extend or switch to a Student visa from inside the UK.181 On top of visa costs, prospective international students also need to pay a healthcare surcharge of £470 per year.182 Students in the UK may be able to work whilst on a Student visa, but it depends what subject is being studied and whether the work is in or out of term-time.183 In the view of Matt Crilly, President of NUS Scotland: [ … ] we should be striving to make sure that our country is welcoming of international students. [ … ] International students are having to pay up to £2,000 for a visa to come and study here. Something that I think is particularly striking, given the fact we are going through a global health pandemic, is 174 Q256 175 Q233 176 For example: Q169 177 RSE Young Academy of Scotland (USC0006) p 3 178 HMG, ‘Student visa’, accessed 13 April 2021 179 HMG, ‘Browse: Study in the UK’, accessed 13 April 2021 180 HMG, ‘Student visa’, accessed 13 April 2021 181 HMG, ‘Student visa’, accessed 13 April 2021 182 HMG, ‘Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application’, accessed 13 April 2021 183 HMG, ‘Student visa’, accessed 13 April 2021 Universities and Scotland 33 the NHS surcharge going up from £300 to £470 for international students. Things like that make the country a lot less welcoming to international students, who this year in particular are struggling with some elements of the pandemic.184
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The UK Government is absolutely committed to supporting the UK higher education sector, and to increasing the number of international students and academics that come here. This is demonstrated in the migration statistics which were recently published. In 2021, there were 432,279 Sponsored study visas granted (to both main applicants and their dependants), 89% (203,313) more than the previous year and 52% (147,558) higher than 2019. Of the 432,279 Sponsored visas granted, 13,128 (3%) were under Tier 4 rules and 419,151 (97%) were under the new Student and Child Student routes introduced on the 5th October 2020.1 1 Please note that year-on-year changes may have been impacted by changes to travel plans and patterns due to the pandemic. The number of Sponsored study visas granted in 2021, is the highest on record with the substantial increase representing both a recovery from lower numbers during the Covid-19 pandemic but also an increase on the pre-pandemic period. It is 41% higher than the previous record of 307,394 which occurred in the year ending June 2010. We have significantly improved the offer to students made by our immigration system to ensure the UK is as attractive as possible to genuine international students. As part of these changes we launched the Student and Child Student route in October 2020 and the Graduate route in July 2021. The new routes are streamlined, simplified, and provide clearer pathways for students and graduates who want to progress through their academic career and seek employment in the UK via a skilled work route after their studies. We have also introduced a series of concessions to support the education sector and international students across the UK during Covid-19, providing certainty to students and the sector by enabling distance and blended learning for international students until April next year; ensuring that Covid-related absences will not count against students; and ensuring reporting and compliance assessment requirements do not place unnecessary burden on sponsors whose students defer their studies, or withdraw from a course, as a result of the pandemic. We shall submit our response to the Committee’s Report on Immigration and Scotland shortly.