Who comes from abroad to study in the UK?
In the 2021/2022 academic year, House of Commons Library reported that there were 679,970 international students in the UK.
According to the 2021 census, international students come in large numbers from China, India, Romania, Nigeria, Poland, Italy and the United States. The Migration Observatory reported that the UK in 2021 was the second most popular country for international students in the world.
Can international students access benefits?
No, they cannot access any benefits. To use the NHS, international students pay a fee as part of their visa application. This fee has recently increased to £776 per year, up from £470 per year.
Do international students usually stay permanently in the UK?
Most international students do not stay in the UK after graduating. The Office for National Statistics reports that 80% of international students do not stay beyond five years.
If an international student wishes to stay in the UK and work after graduating, what visas can they apply for?
Since 2019, international students have been able to apply after graduation for a two- to three-year post-study visa called the Graduate Visa, which allows them to work and live in the UK during that time. The visa cannot be renewed or extended. It is intended to help recent international student graduates to start their careers in the UK after studying and work their way up to the kinds of jobs that sponsor work visas.
After that, international students who want to continue working in the UK need to find a job that will sponsor them under a Skilled Worker Visa.
In December, Rishi Sunak announced a hike in the minimum salary required to get a Skilled Worker Visa from £26,200 to £38,700. Under the new rules, international graduates in the first four years after finishing the Graduate Visa are considered “new entrants,” and can get sponsored on a Skilled Work Visa at the reduced salary requirement of £30,960.
