Drop in foreign student visas worrying for UK universities

The fig of planetary students applying for visas to survey successful the UK has fallen up of the commencement of the caller world year.

Home Office figures showed 16% less visa applications were made betwixt July and September than successful the aforesaid play successful 2023.

Meanwhile, the fig of visa applications for household members of students dropped by 89%, aft a rule alteration introduced by the erstwhile government came into effect successful January.

The figures person prompted further interest wrong the assemblage implicit the fiscal wellness of UK universities, galore of which beryllium heavy connected planetary pupil fees.

The Home Office said 263,400 sponsored survey visa applications were made betwixt July and September, down from 312,500 successful the summertime of 2023.

In the aforesaid period, lone 6,700 applications were made by dependants of overseas students, down from 59,900 past year.

Since January, planetary students person been banned from bringing household members to unrecorded with them successful the UK, isolated from immoderate who are connected research-based courses oregon government-backed scholarships.

The regularisation was introduced past twelvemonth by Rishi Sunak's government, which had committed to bringing migration numbers down.

Some successful the assemblage person warned that less planetary students volition further harm assemblage finances successful the UK.

Universities UK, which represents 140 institutions, said the figures showed that pupil recruitment "remains precise challenging", and that "the UK’s presumption arsenic a apical survey destination is nether threat".

Nick Hillman, manager of the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) deliberation tank, said the numbers "confirm our fearfulness that the erstwhile government’s changes person made the UK a little charismatic survey destination".

Jo Grady, wide caput of the University and College Union (UCU), precocious called for authorities bailouts for those universities struggling financially.

She said the caller Labour authorities should "lift Tory visa restrictions arsenic a archetypal measurement towards stabilising our universities and rebuilding Britain".

A Home Office spokesperson said the authorities "values the publication ineligible migration makes to our country, but it indispensable beryllium controlled and delivered done a just system".