Britain has put limits on international students to curb immigration.
naijaonpoint reports that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has introduced plans to reduce the rate of immigration to the UK by limiting the number of foreign students entering the country.
Under the new plans, only students who have managed to get into the UK’s most prestigious universities will be given visas to enter the country.
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Meanwhile, there will be a limitation on the number of family members international students can bring into the country.
Reason for the measures: This comes after the number of foreign student dependents nearly tripled in one year.
The latest immigration statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that approximately 560,000 people have immigrated to the UK as of June. This marked a sharp increase over the comparable period last year, albeit fueled by the influx of Ukrainian refugees.
The scapegoats are clear: In the meantime, in his bid to crack down on immigration, international students will become the easiest targets. Unfortunately, this policy move would be a reversal of the 2019 Education International strategy which sought to boost the country’s education exports to £35bn per year. The goal was met in 2020-2021 when Sunak was chancellor.
What you should know: Recently, many Nigerians hoping to use education as an immigration route to the UK have turned to cheaper British schools, many of which are not among the Russell Group schools. These schools are not only cheaper but also much easier to get into as their admission requirements are not too stringent.
The Russel Group, on the other hand, is made up of the best universities in the UK, similar to the Ivy League schools in the United States. There are a total of 24 universities under the Russel Group including Cardiff University, University of Glasgow, University of Edinburgh, University of Birmingham, University of Bristol, University of Cambridge, etc.
Getting into these Russell Groups is a bit difficult. Tuition fees are also much higher.