The restrictions affect postgraduate research courses and those with government-funded scholarships.
International students enrolling at UK universities from this month will have to comply with stricter visa requirements that restrict the number of family members they can bring.
The changes, initiated by former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, to “reduce migration and curb abuse of the immigration system” came into effect on Monday, according to the official UK government website.
These restrictions primarily affect postgraduate research courses and those with government-funded scholarships.
The UK Home Office predicts that these changes, aimed at preventing the abuse of student visas as a means of obtaining work, will result in around 140,000 fewer people entering the country.
“The changes, first announced last May, have also seen people ban the use of the student visa as a backdoor to work in the UK and it is estimated that around 140,000 fewer people will come to the UK,” reads on the website.
The UK is set to implement changes to the rules for dependent students as part of a wider strategy to reduce high immigration numbers and combat those who exploit the country’s flexible immigration system.
Official figures show a staggering 930% increase in dependent visas since 2019.
According to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 152,980 visas had been granted to dependents of students as of September 2023, a significant increase from 14,839 in September 2019.
The ONS also estimated that net migration was 672,000 between June 2022 and June 2023.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said: “This Government is delivering on its commitment to the British public to reduce migration.
“We have put in place a tough plan to quickly reduce the number of immigrants, control our borders and stop people from manipulating our immigration system, which will take effect later this year.”
He added that the changes will see migration “rapidly fall into the tens of thousands and will contribute to our overall strategy to prevent 300,000 people coming to the UK”.
