Students in the United Kingdom are no longer permitted to switch their student visa into a work visa while studying due to new changes introduced by the authorities on July 17 to the immigration rules.
This means that international students studying in the UK on a Student Visa can only switch to a work visa once they have completed their academic course and obtained their degree or qualification.
In addition, starting January 2024, international students in the UK will only be allowed to bring their Dependents on their Student visa if they are looking for a postgraduate research program.
These recent changes to the UK’s Immigration Rules have faced strong opposition from immigration solicitors, universities, colleges, and certain UK employers, who insist that these changes may have several adverse effects in the student market.
One of the key concerns is that the restriction on bringing dependants for international students could lead some students to choose other countries as their study destination instead of the UK. The presence of close family members is an essential consideration for many international students when deciding on their educational journey, VisaGuide.World reports.
Regarding the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), the authority has also decided to continue protecting the residence rights of nationals who have failed to apply under the scheme.
Moreover, changes have been made to the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) too, which defines the occupations experiencing a shortage of skilled workers in the country. New construction-related roles have been added to the SOL, including:
- bricklayers,
- masons,
- roof tilers,
- slaters,
- carpenters, and more.
This inclusion allows employers in the construction industry to access skilled workers from outside the UK more easily, in a bid of the authorities to tackle labour shortages in the sector.
Previously, the Home Affairs Select Committee of the UK has urged the government to consider promoting the availability of work visas as a solution to address labor shortages in the country, particularly as an alternative to seeking asylum for Albanian migrants.
The Committee said that this recommendation comes after a recent report revealed that during the first nine months of the previous year, only 325 Albanian individuals were granted work visas in the UK.
According to the data provided by the same source, there is scant evidence suggesting that citizens of Albania face significant risks in their home country necessitating international protection, despite the fact that more than half of Albanian asylum claims in the UK, precisely 51 percent, were approved as of June last year.