United Kingdom is known for its diverse culture and ethnic diversity, and the multicultural society is home to people across the globe. The UK remained welcoming for foreign students, and it typically offers various visa options for international students who are seeking to advance their education in Britain.
Amid a huge influx of applicants, the UK’s Home Office shared a new update as new visa restrictions restricted foreign students to bring their family members to the island nation.
The new restriction introduced by Britain’s Home Office will impact students from countries like Pakistan who often bring parents and spouses to the Kingdom while getting higher education.
The new announcement aimed to cut overseas students from starting families while studying. It said starting immediately, new foreign students are no longer allowed to bring family members, with exceptions for postgraduate research or state-funded scholarship students.
UK Visa from Pakistan
We are fully committed to seeing a decisive cut in migration.
From today, new overseas students will no longer be able to bring family members to the UK.
Postgraduate research or government-funded scholarships students will be exempt. pic.twitter.com/QpwEf9BCfj
— Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) January 1, 2024
The Home Office’s new step is in line with the government’s pledge to pointedly cut migration from other nations.
Top officials of the British government including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak supported the move, emphasizing it as a delivery for the British people. Current migration numbers, 745,000, are being considered excessively high and bringing family members is unreasonable practice by the govt.
Sunak-led government hoped stern measures would contribute to the overall strategy to limit migration by tens of thousands.
In 2019, the number of dependents coming with foreign students was around 16,000 which soared to 136,000 in recent years. Students from Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka were at top of the list of students who bring family members to UK.
Amid soaring inflation, UK also raised salary thresholds to curb worker migration, with further increases expected in the future.
UK announces visa-free entry for visitors from various Islamic countries
