Reporter | Chen Qiongye
The number of net immigration in the UK hit a record high.
Recently, the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that as of June this year, the number of net immigration in the UK reached 504,000. The figure is based on the number of about 1.1 million people who have moved to the UK in the past year, minus the income from 560,000 immigrants leaving the UK.
, Director of the International Migration Centre of the National Bureau of Statistics, said in this data report that in the past year ended June 2022, a series of incidents such as the migration of refugees in Afghanistan, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and the lifting of entry restrictions in the UK have led to an increase in the number of immigrants.
International students studying in the UK have driven this net migration population growth. In the past year ended June 2022, a total of 277,000 international students from non-EU countries came to study in the UK, while in the past year ended June 2021, this number was only 143,000.
visa application volume in the UK has soared in the past three months. Data shows that the number of application for study visas and extension visas increased by 30% in the third quarter of this year to 317,000.
The number of applications for non-Russell Group rose from 105,000 in the third quarter of last year to 162,000 in the same period of this year; the number of applications for Russell Group also increased slightly, from 104,000 in the same period of last year to 116,000 this year. The Russell Group is composed of 24 research universities in the UK, including Oxford University , Cambridge University, Edinburgh University , Leeds University and London School of Economics and other universities.
China is still the country with the largest number of applicants to local universities except in the UK.
UK university admissions service agency UCAS recently released the latest application data showing that as of October 15, more than 74,000 people submitted applications, with 53,000 local students in the UK and 21,000 international students. Among them, the number of applicants in mainland China is 4,390, and the number of applicants in Hong Kong is 1,490.
However, the UK National Statistics Office said that with the lifting of travel restrictions, more and more international students arrived in the UK after ending distance learning during the pandemic, but it is too early to judge whether the growth trend of international student numbers will continue.
The graduate visa (Graduate route visa) implemented in July last year may have a positive impact on the growth of international students. Data from the UK Ministry of Home Affairs shows that in the third quarter of 2022, the UK issued 17,000 graduate visas, an increase of 41.4% from 12,000 in the same period last year.
Over the past year, the British government has continuously released favorable benefits at the policy level for international talents.
On May 30, 2022, the application for the "High Potential Individual Visa" launched by the UK was officially opened. This visa is a short-term work visa, attracting highly skilled overseas talents to work in the UK. For top 50 college graduates in the world except the UK, they are allowed to apply without getting a job offer, and are allowed to bring their partners to the UK.
htmlOn August 22, the UK government officially opened the application for Scale-up Visa, aiming to help UK companies with growth potential recruit highly skilled talents from all over the world, thereby filling in job openings and stimulating rapid economic development.
Following the first Indian Prime Minister in the UK, Rishi Sunak, coming to power, on November 16, the British Prime Minister's Office announced on its official Twitter that it officially launched the "UK-India Young Professionals Scheme" to provide 3,000 visas to Indian citizens aged 18-30 aged 18 to 30, allowing them to come to the UK to work and live for two years.
The talent visa program will be launched in early 2023 and as a reciprocal agreement, the British will also receive visas to work and live in India. The visa was originally proposed during Boris' term and is currently officially confirmed.
As the number of net immigration hit a record high, the British government also felt "pressure". Current Home Secretary Sura Braverman said the current immigration level has put pressure on the UK’s local housing needs, public health, education and other public services.
The UK government may consider restricting entry of international students.
According to the " Times " report on November 25, the British government is considering limiting the number of international students and reducing the number of relatives they can carry to reduce net immigration. In addition, it also includes reducing the number of international student visas for "poor quality degrees". International students who want to study in the UK may be rejected if they are not admitted to "top universities".
However, this potential policy has been divided in the British government cabinet. Brian Bell, chairman of the Migration Advisory Committee of the UK, said in an interview with BBC that if the British government limits the number of international students, this move may put many British universities in trouble. "Most universities lose money when teaching British students, and then offset this loss by charging international students more. If the number of international students is limited, I don't know how universities can continue to survive."
In addition, if overseas students are only allowed to attend "top universities", institutions such as London, Cambridge and Oxford will operate well, but Newcastle, Northeast , Northwest territories and Scotland will be adversely affected. At the same time, this move will also lead to a large increase in tuition fees for local UK students to make up for the university's tuition losses for international students.
