Leave the Graduate Route as it is, MAC tells the government

The government is advised to keep the post-study work visa program in its current form after an independent evaluation of the politically controversial Graduate Route, which permits overseas students to stay in the UK for two years following graduation in an attempt to get employment. Right-wing members of the ruling Conservative Party put pressure on UK Home Secretary James Cleverly to prevent immigration and end any misuse of the Graduate Route, which led to him ordering the study by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). The Graduate Route is a vital component of the offer that we make to international students to come and study in the UK,” stated Professor Brian Bell, MAC chair. These students’ fees allow universities to recover the costs of doing research and teaching British students. Many colleges would have to close their doors, and less research would be done in their absence. This demonstrates the complex connection between immigration law and higher education regulations. To tackle this issue, the MAC suggests the following two measures: The proposal is that the government create a mandatory registration system for international recruiting agencies and subagents, using the quality norms found in the voluntary Agent Quality Framework. To ensure nationwide coverage, the government could share with the devolved administrations. To start boosting transparency, universities have to be forced to release information on their annual expenditures on recruiting agents as well as the number of international students they successfully place. Highlights: The UK’s Migratory Advisory Committee recently released its evaluation of the Graduate Route. The government ought to keep the Graduate Route as is, according to the main recommendation. The Migratory Advisory Committee says that blocking the route might seriously harm the future viability of UK institutions, even though it found no evidence of widespread misuse of the route. The investigation found evidence that some agents are “misselling” education in the UK, and it provides suggestions for more reporting and agent control. Higher education leaders welcomed the review’s findings and asked the government to follow them.

The government is advised to keep the post-study work visa program in its current form after an independent evaluation of the politically controversial Graduate Route, which permits overseas students to stay in the UK for two years following graduation in an attempt to get employment.

Right-wing members of the ruling Conservative Party put pressure on UK Home Secretary James Cleverly to prevent immigration and end any misuse of the Graduate Route, which led to him ordering the study by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC).

The Graduate Route is a vital component of the offer that we make to international students to come and study in the UK,” stated Professor Brian Bell, MAC chair. These students’ fees allow universities to recover the costs of doing research and teaching British students. Many colleges would have to close their doors, and less research would be done in their absence. This demonstrates the complex connection between immigration law and higher education regulations.

To tackle this issue, the MAC suggests the following two measures:

• The proposal is that the government create a mandatory registration system for international recruiting agencies and subagents, using the quality norms found in the voluntary Agent Quality Framework. To ensure nationwide coverage, the government could share with the devolved administrations.
• To start boosting transparency, universities have to be forced to release information on their annual expenditures on recruiting agents as well as the number of international students they successfully place.

Highlights:

• The UK’s Migratory Advisory Committee recently released its evaluation of the Graduate Route.
• The government ought to keep the Graduate Route as is, according to the main recommendation.
• The Migratory Advisory Committee says that blocking the route might seriously harm the future viability of UK institutions, even though it found no evidence of widespread misuse of the route.
• The investigation found evidence that some agents are “misselling” education in the UK, and it provides suggestions for more reporting and agent control.
• Higher education leaders welcomed the review’s findings and asked the government to follow them.