Scotland MP condemns UK's new visa policy for international students

Scotland MP condemns UK’s new visa policy for international students

A Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow North West, Carol Monaghan, has condemned the new visa policy for international students announced by the United Kingdom’s (UK) government.

Recall that on Tuesday, the Home Secretary of the United Kingdom, Suella Braverman, announced that international students who travel to the country for study purposes will no longer be allowed to bring relatives by January 2024.

According to Braverman, “the significant rise in students bringing family members is putting untenable pressure on public services. Thus, tightening the student route will help to cut migration by restricting post-graduate students from bringing dependents or using the route as a backdoor to work”.

However, reacting to the new visa policy for international students at the UK parliament on Wednesday, Ms Monaghan, a Scottish National party politician said international students make invaluable contributions, especially to the UK’s economy.

She said, “International students make an invaluable contributions to an economy. According to the Higher Education Policy Institute, last year, they contributed nearly £43 billion to the UK economy”.

She added that in her constituency of Glasgow North West alone, the economic benefit was over £83 million, noting that Scotland would have to suffer the consequences of a ‘misjudged’ policy of the government.

Monaghan noted that international students enrich the UK’s society in all sectors, including health, IT and the universities.

“International students coming to the UK will be on their studies and want their families to be part of that experience,” she stated.

She cautioned that if oversees students were prevented from bringing their families, “many will opt to go elsewhere and any drop in international students’ numbers will cause further harm to the universities as they are already facing financial difficulties”.

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