Graduate Route Visa review - what changes can universities expect?

MAC review of the Graduate Route Visa

University admissions teams will be acutely aware of the Government's desire to reduce net migration. In response to which, the Home Office has introduced a series of measures which appear to be having their desired impact in reducing the number of visas issued to international students and their dependents. In March 2024, the Home Secretary, James Cleverly, commissioned the MAC to conduct a rapid review of the Graduate Route to investigate whether there has been any abuse of that route and whether it is fit for purpose.

In their report, following their rapid review, the MAC's central finding is that the Graduate route, in its current form, should be retained, and that no evidence of significant abuse has been found. However, they raised concerns over the use of recruitment agents by universities in certain markets and suggested that any abuse of the Student routes is more likely to come from that source.

Further proposed measures to tackle Student Visa abuse

In response to the MAC's report, the Government issued a statement setting out further steps it plans to take to ensure that only genuine students can come to the UK. This was followed by a Home Office factsheet and Q&A for the education sector. The key points of which are as follows:

• Mandatory registration scheme for agents: by summer 2024 all HEIs using recruitment agents will be expected to work within the Agent Quality Framework (AQF) to ensure that agents are operating to a high standard. By early 2025, data monitoring arrangements will have been agreed.
• Universities are required to publish data on their use and reliance on international agents
• Course outcomes on the Student route to be provided to the Home Office: presumably this will be similar to the reporting requirement for the Graduate route but extended to all Student visa holders.
• Increased Basic Compliance Assessment thresholds: to be introduced by Autumn 2024
• Financial maintenance requirements for international students to be raised from January 2025: UKVI will also be given additional powers to investigate provenance of maintenance of funds across all visa routes.
• Review English language standards: starting in summer 2024 the Home Office will review how HEIs assess English language ability; there are no plans to increase the level of English required, but instead to focus on how HEIs are permitted to self-assess this requirement.
• Introduce the long-awaited remote delivery policy in September 2024, with full implementation expected by September 2025: the policy will ensure that face-to-face delivery remains the predominant delivery method.

In addition, the Home Office plan to review franchised providers to ensure they are providing students with high quality education.

Summary

As we all know, only days after these announcements were made a General Election was called, so how many of these proposals will survive a potential change in government remains to be seen. However, given the tone of the manifestos published by the Conservative and Labour parties, it seems unlikely that there will be any softening of the rhetoric around immigration policy. It therefore seems quite likely that some, if not all, of these proposals will be implemented.

It is vital therefore that universities continue to stay abreast of any announcements on student immigration policy after the election.

VWV's experienced team of specialist immigration lawyers is on hand to guide you through any developments and can also provide additional support, such as:

• An immigration helpline - offered on either a 'pay as you go' or fixed monthly retainer basis
• Assistance with developing and reviewing immigration policies
• Audits of sponsorship systems, processes, and records
• Training - both bespoke and as part of our regular programme of training events for universities

For further advice on these changes, please contact Tom Brett Young in our Immigration team on 0121 227 3759, or complete the form below.