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The UK Government has today confirmed that the graduation route will remain in place for international students at all UK universities. The graduate route allows international students to stay in the UK after graduation for two years (on average) after successfully completing a relevant course in the UK.

In response to the announcement, University of Leicester President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Nishan Canagarajah said:

“At Leicester, we welcome students from over 150 countries and they contribute to the diverse educational community that makes our University so special. They in turn benefit from studying at a leading UK university with a track record of teaching and research excellence – we are a top 30 university in the Research Excellence Framework and gold rated in the Excellence in Research Framework rendition.

“International students provide global perspectives and important skills that allow all students to benefit from the exchange of ideas, the discovery of new cultures and an expanded worldview. As recognized by the MAC, they are also critical to the financial sustainability of our universities.

“International students make an annual contribution of £41 billion to the UK, meaning that on average each of the UK’s 650 parliamentary constituencies is £58 million better off – the equivalent of about £560 per citizen. In the East Midlands alone, off-campus spending by international students is around £353m. Their spending funded 3,093 jobs.”

Professor Canagarajah also spoke about MAC’s assessment of international recruitment agencies.

He said: “At the University of Leicester we hugely value the contribution of our network of agency partners who provide crucial support to students around the world in shaping their higher education journey. The MAC review’s recommendations for the regulation of international agents are warmly welcomed and build on the work already underway, which, in particular, has been initiated from within the sector itself.

“Our agents are an indispensable extension of our inspiring international recruitment team, many of whom are Leicester graduates themselves. Agents allow us to go far beyond the capacity of our own resource and communicate our ambition to provide diverse and inclusive education internationally.”

The UK Government was expected to make a decision on the future of the visa following a review of the route by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), which published its recommendations on 14 May. The MAC, which is an independent body, has recommended that the graduate pathway be retained in its current form.

The Ministry of Education’s announcement came early today, on the same day as the Office for National Statistics’ net migration data. ONS data shows that net migration on study visas fell by 25%, or 80,000, between December 2023 and December 2024. It is important to note that the data up to the end of December 2023 covers a period before the government changes were implemented. the policy that ended the dependent visa for international postgraduate students; this came into effect on 1 January 2024. From 1 January 2024 there have been further declines in international student demand, but it will take longer to show up in national statistics.