UK’s Home Office expresses frustration over opposition to proposed graduate visa reforms by education department 

According to Financial Times, the government plans to tighten the graduate visa rules, which currently allow international students to remain in the UK for up to two years after completing their university degree, even if they are not employed.

Under the proposed reforms, international students would be required to secure a graduate-level job to remain in the UK, according to sources familiar with the plans. Home Office officials have referred to government adviser estimates, which suggest that a graduate-level job would have a salary above £30,000 per year.

A Home Office official said, “We have been tasked by the prime minister to bring down net migration and we’re trying to do that. It’s frustrating that the education department has lobbied Universities UK to fight this.”

Reports inform that insiders at the education department have raised concerns about the impact of curbing the graduate visa route. Chief executive of Universities UK, Vivienne Stern,described it as “madness” to limit the route, particularly as universities are under financial strain.

The proposed changes would go further than those made last year under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s administration, which had rejected more drastic reforms after concerns about potential damage to universities.

Reports cited that the Home Office’s push to tighten the graduate visa rules is based on concerns about the movement of international students into low-paid work and, in some cases, into the asylum system.

Data from the Home Office revealed that in 2024, 40,000 asylum claims were made by individuals who had previously held a UK visa. Of these, 40% had held a study visa.

“We are finding people who are moving from student visas and graduate visas into asylum hotels,” said one Home Office official. “A large proportion of these cases appear to be fraud.” The official emphasized that such cases are unacceptable and indicate misuse of the visa system.

A government spokesperson stated that the Home Office and the Department for Education are working together to ensure that migration policy aligns with the UK’s education and skills needs, ensuring that immigration does not come at the expense of homegrown talent.

The debate over the graduate visa reforms highlights ongoing tensions between immigration control measures and the interests of the higher education sector.