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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing strong opposition within his Cabinet over plans to impose restrictions or even do away with a graduate visa scheme that allows international students to live and work in the UK for up to two years after graduation, according to a news report. Rishi Sunak is facing a Cabinet revolt over plans to scrap the graduate visa scheme, according to The Observer.
In an election year, the government appeared to have complied with the pressure to arrest an increasing number of immigrants who are being seen by a section as affecting the career prospects of Britons.
Earlier this year, the government ended the ability of nearly all postgraduate students to bring dependents to the UK. It was followed by reforms to restrict care workers from bringing family members.
According to The Observer, the Prime Minister, under pressure from some on the right of his party to demonstrate that the Tories are tougher on immigration than Labour, is considering further restricting or even ending the graduate scheme, which some believe can be used as a backdoor entry route to the UK.
“But with University Vice-Chancellors warning that such a move could threaten the future of their institutions and damage local economies, and businesses raising concerns about the effect on skills and their ability to attract overseas talent, several Cabinet ministers are said to be opposing the move. Government sources say these include the education secretary, Gillian Keegan, the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, and the foreign secretary, David Cameron,” the newspaper reported on Sunday, May 19.
The report mentioned a ‘government insider’ sharing that Keegan would not support moves that would harm the sector. “Her job is to support the higher education sector, which benefits from international students coming to this country,” it quoted the source.
Government insiders told The Observer that Hunt would oppose “any move that would be detrimental to the economy”, including blanket bans on international student visas.
“Lord Cameron is also understood to be opposed to limiting the number of international students and further damaging relationships with overseas universities. The UK’s exit from the EU has meant withdrawal from the bloc’s Erasmus programme, which has already had a serious effect in curbing international exchanges,” the report added.
