Universities in the UK may be paying education consultants to entice Indian students with promises that they can bring their families along.
According to a recent Telegraph article, agents who promote graduate visas and assist prospective Indian students in obtaining visas for their spouses and children are paid commissions.
While some agents provide deals that guarantee a spouse full-time employment and a two-year stay, others warn prospective students to act quickly because the UK may soon impose restrictions on dependents.
The British Council just introduced “The UK Quality Agent Framework” to help students make more educated decisions by offering training, promoting a code of behavior, and engaging with top-notch agents.
For brokers, counselors, and education consultants looking to learn more about the UK as a study destination, the initiative provides a one-stop shop, according to Jacqui Jenkins, Global Head, of International Student Mobility, British Council.
International students can stay in the UK for at least two years after successfully finishing a course from a British university with a graduate visa, formerly known as the post-study visa.
The research is released at a time when the UK government is already having trouble with its negative perception of immigration. In the year leading up to June, the nation’s net migration increased to an expected record high of 504,000.
The number of dependent students receiving visas to enter the UK has nearly tripled, from 44,000 to more than 116,000 in only one year, alarming the government.
According to recent UK immigration statistics, Indians received 41% of all Graduate Route visas since it was implemented in 2021.
According to estimates, India beat China to become the country that sends the most students to the UK, sending 161,000 students last year—including 33,240 dependents.
Experts worry that the restrictions may bankrupt UK universities, which depend on foreign students for funding, even though senior ministers are exploring limits on the number of dependents allowed into the UK and restricting foreign students from attending low-quality programs.
Indians received 1.27 lakh student visas from the British High Commission in the year ending September 2022, a 273 percent rise from the same period in 2019.
News Mania Desk
