UK prohibits international students from bringing families

A group of students. Illustration photo by Freepik

According to The Independent, the U.K.’s Home Secretary James Cleverly confirmed that this policy was implemented starting Monday.

Under the new rules, international students, except those enrolled in postgraduate research or government-sponsored programs, will not be permitted to bring spouses or relatives on visas, a practice that Cleverly referred to as “unreasonable.”

The governor anticipates that this change will cut migration figures by tens of thousands.

His predecessor, Suella Braverman, initially proposed this idea in May. This was in response to the Office for National Statistics reporting a record net migration of 745,000. Consequently, the U.K. government sought to prevent the entry of 300,000 individuals.

However, experts have expressed concerns about the impact of this decision on universities in the U.K., which depend heavily on the tuition fees from foreign students, as reported by The Times of India.

Critics argue that this might render higher education institutions in the country less attractive to international students, and thus not only undermine their financial stability but also harm the U.K.’s general reputation as a favored destination for international education.