On 11 March 2024, the Home Secretary followed on from his parliamentary statement towards the end of 2023 by formally requesting that the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) undertake a ‘rapid review’ of the Graduate visa route by 14 May 2024.
The popular and relatively new route (which was launched by the government in July 2021) enables Student visa holders to remain in the UK for a period of up to two years after their graduation, or a period of up to three years for PhD graduates.
On 14 May 2024, the MAC published it’s Rapid Review of the Graduate route, alongside it’s letter response to the Home Secretary. A number of recommendations and corrections were made to the Home Secretary regarding the Graduate route. In their report, the MAC have recommended that the Graduate route should be retained in its current format.
What were the general findings from the report?
The MAC have suggested that due to the January 2024 changes (which significantly restricted the ability of international students to bring dependants to the UK), we may see a decline in student applications, visas, and fees, in the upcoming September 2024 intake.
The figures released by the MAC alongside the rapid review show the total annual number of Graduate visas and Graduate dependant visas granted since the implementation of the Graduate route in July 2021. They show a rapid increase in the number of visas granted. In the first full year of the Graduate route, there were 66,000 Graduate visas granted. By 2023, this had increased to 144,000.
The MAC maintained that, although we can see a steady increase in Graduate visas from 2021 – 2023, there is no evidence to suggest widespread abuse of the Graduate route. Further analysis was also released at this time.
In James Cleverly’s initial letter to the MAC, he suggested that “only 23% of students switching from the Graduate route to the Skilled Worker route in 2023 went into graduate level jobs”. Within the rapid review, the MAC have challenged this statistic and have maintained that the actual figure is closer to around 69% of Graduate visa holders, who are later switching into Graduate entry level roles on the Skilled Worker route.
The MAC have also suggested that the Home Office should establish a requirement for higher education institutions to provide it with “confirmation of the course outcome on the Student route, in addition to confirmation that a course has been successfully completed which is currently required”. This would vastly clarify the data relating to those on the Student route and the Graduate route.
What are the MAC’s recommendations?
Overall, the recommendations of the MAC on the future of the Graduate route are as follows:
- The Graduate route should be retained in its current format.
- The government should establish a mandatory registration system for international recruitment agents and subagents (in other words, a UK-wide, compulsory scheme).
- The government should not open any new migration routes or change any policies significantly (unless it has a strong plan for how it will collect data to assess how effective the route is against its goals).
- The Home Office should commence an assessment of the data variables used for analysis across the Skilled Worker route, Student route, and Graduate route.
- The government should look into and utilise the Home Office/HMRC matched data.
Conclusion
The main takeaway from the rapid review is that the MAC recommends that the government retain the Graduate route, and that there is no evidence to suggest that the visa route is currently the subject of abuse. This is a welcome response for Graduates and higher education institutions.
However, if the government do not acknowledge the MAC’s findings, the alternative is that students will find it extremely difficult to stay in the UK and enter the job market, particularly after the recent exponential increase to Skilled Worker minimum salary thresholds.
The government’s International Education Strategy (2019) (as laid out by the previous Secretary of State for Education and Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade) includes a recruitment target for international students. The MAC has explained that further restrictions to the Graduate route could lead to this target not being met, alongside increased financial challenges that UK universities are currently facing. This could also disproportionately affect “local and regional economies outside London and the South East”. In the most acute circumstances, a heavily controlled Graduate route, or abolishment of the route altogether, could lead to numerous course closures, unemployment, a vast decline in UK research, and even the closure of higher education institutions.
Furthermore, the MAC’s recommendations regarding the introduction of a mandatory registration system for international recruitment agents would assist in the safeguarding of students and eventually reduce the potential risk of student exploitation.
It is hoped that the MAC will soon undertake a further, in-depth review over the course of the year. This would ideally include more focussed analysis and stakeholder participation.
It is yet to be seen whether the government will proceed in restricting or scrapping the Graduate route, however, we do know that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing significant opposition against any measures to restrict the route.
Graduate visas: How our Immigration Solicitors can help
We are experienced in advising both employers and individuals in relation to a variety of immigration matters. Should you require any further information about the Graduate route, New Entrant rates or any other aspect of immigration law, please contact us or complete our enquiry form below.
Make an enquiry
