The restrictive visa rules put in place by the previous government include the ban on visa dependents, which prohibit students on Masters degrees from bringing their families with them to the UK while they study.
While revealing this policy would remain, Phillipshon reiterated the value that international students bring to the UK.
“International students who come to our country and study do make a tremendous contribution,” she said in an interview with Sky News.
Other recent developments with potential repercussions for international students in the UK include proposed changes to the Graduate Route—a two-year visa allowing international students the right to live and work in the UK—which came under fire under the previous government. Conservative ministers suggested that the system was being abused by internationals looking for a backdoor into the country.
Labour has since stated its intentions to maintain the Graduate Route, after an independent survey found there was no evidence of misuse by international students.
Phillipson shared her criticisms of the past government’s constrictive approach towards students from overseas.
“It is not the case that international students are taking places that would’ve otherwise been available to domestic students, in fact they are cross subsidizing students from the UK, and we’ve seen a drop in undergraduate admissions from international students in this phase,” she said.
According to data from the Home Office, study visa applications from January to July 2024 were 16% lower than during the same period in 2023, while there were 81% fewer international student applications than the previous year.
In addition, a 2024 report published by PwC and commissioned by Universities UK (UUK) found that up to 80% of universities could fall into financial deficit following a gradual or sudden drop in international students in coming years.
Many higher level institutions, including business schools, have expressed criticism of the UK spouse visa restrictions due to their detrimental impact on international applications and funding.
“The visa restriction banning international students from bringing their dependents to the UK is a blanket rule that risks driving prospective students away from the UK and undermining the competitiveness of UK educational institutions,” said a spokesperson from London Business School.
“Many business school students are mid-career level professionals in their thirties and forties, sponsored by their companies to take courses on the condition that they return to their home country afterwards and many would only be looking to relocate with their families for the brief period while they study,” they added. “No longer being able to do so reduces the appeal of the UK as it complicates students’ family lives."
They added that some exemptions to the UK spouse visa restrictions should be added to help ensure the UK remained attractive for international students.
“Our position is that anyone attending a UK school that is triple accredited by the Association of MBAs, EQUIS EFMD, and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business should be granted an exemption to the visa dependents’ rule. An alternative, England-specific solution, would be to use the Office for Students’ list of 'world-leading' specialist providers,” they said.
So far, Labour has not expressed any intentions to revoke the UK spouse visa restrictions or bring in any alterations to the rule. However, speaking on A Level results day, Phillipson quelled fears that there would be a resulting rise in domestic student fees by asserting that the government intends to “reform the system overall.”
