According to a media allegation, universities in the UK are paying education agents who recruit Indian students to entice them with an offer that permits them to bring their family with them to the nation.
The Telegraph claims that agents who promote “graduate visas” and assist prospective Indian students in obtaining visas for their spouses and children are compensated with commissions.
A graduate visa, formerly known as a post-study visa, allows one to remain in the UK for at least two years following the successful completion of a programme there.
According to recent UK immigration statistics, Indians received 41% of all Graduate Route visas since it was implemented in 2021.
While some agents provide deals that guarantee a spouse a “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 study is released at a time when the country’s immigration situation is turning into a headache for the government, which is led by the Conservative party, with net migration figures surging to an expected record of 504,000 in the year ending in June.
Experts warn that the limits will bankrupt UK institutions because they depend on foreign students for funding, even if governments are considering limiting the number of dependents permitted into the UK and prohibiting foreign students from enrolling in “low-quality” programmes.
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.
According to estimates, India beat China to become the country that sends the most students to study in the UK, sending 161,000 students last year—including 33,240 dependents.
According to New Way Consultancy (NWC), which claims to work for more than 70 universities and receives commission for each student it brings on board, the Telegraph.
According to NWC, overseas students and their dependents supported the UK economy not only by paying tuition fees ranging from 10,000 to 26,000 pounds but also by paying an additional 400 pounds for the student’s NHS insurance and 600 pounds for each dependent.
International students are not migrants because they never stay in this country, according to Moe Sobahan, Head of Recruitment at NWC.
Sobahan issued a warning that restrictions on graduate work visas will drive Indian students to go to nations like Australia and Canada, ultimately putting an end to the UK’s student market.