The Labour government has proposed a raft of changes to the country’s immigration system, many of which will have a significant impact on universities, students and research.

In a long-awaited , the government warned that the integrity of the UK’s student visa system “is being undermined, both by individuals from overseas seeking to exploit it, and by education providers in this country failing to protect it”.��

To combat this, ministers propose to tighten the rules that allow people to come to the country to study and work post-graduation.��

Prime minister Keir Starmer was also clear that efforts to restrict new arrivals should be accompanied by investment in the UK’s own skills system, pointing out that in sectors such as engineering, for example, apprenticeships have almost halved while visas doubled.

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Here, Times Higher Education has broken down the key points from the White Paper that will impact universities, researchers and students.

Graduate visas to be reduced to 18 months 

In what is perhaps the White Paper’s most significant announcement for universities, the government says it will reduce the ability for graduates to remain in the UK after their studies to a period of 18 months.

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This is a reduction from the current two years for those who are taking courses below PhD level.��Speculation ahead of the publication of the paper focused on the graduate visa being restricted to only highly skilled jobs but there was no mention of this in the final document. It comes just a year after changes to the graduate route were ruled out by the previous Conservative administration.��

New levy on international student fees proposed

The government also says that it will “explore introducing a levy” on higher education provider income from international students, to be “reinvested into the higher education and skills system”. It will release further details on this in the autumn budget.

Ending ‘abuse’ of student visa route 

The paper warns that the UK’s student visa system is being “undermined”, and adds that “it is also essential that any individual that our country welcomes here to study is genuinely here to do so and is not using their application for a student visa simply as a vehicle to move themselves and their dependants to a new life in Britain”.

It states that the number of people receiving student visas rose from 269,000 in 2019 to 498,000 in 2023. While the number of asylum claims matched to a visa has remained steady since 2021, students account for the largest proportion of this group, at almost half (47 per cent) of all asylum claims from visa holders.

“With the numbers of students claiming asylum increasing at pace, and the majority claiming as their visas approach expiry, including where circumstances in their home country have not changed, we must take action against those who seek to abuse and misuse the system,” the document says.��

‘Responsible recruitment’ policy

Consequently, the paper says that the government will act to “prevent the misuse of student visas” and will strengthen the requirements that sponsoring institutions must meet to recruit international students.

This includes raising the required course enrolment rate from 90 per cent to 95 per cent, and course completion rate from 85 per cent to 90 per cent.

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A “red-amber-green” traffic light system will also be introduced to communicate to the public and authorities how institutions are performing on these metrics.��

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These measures, it said, will encourage providers to “only offer places to genuine students who meet the requirements of the route”. It also outlined that where institutions are failing to do so, there will be stronger powers for the Home Office to intervene and ensure greater compliance.

English language requirements 

The paper outlines that without “adequate” language skills, “there is a risk of isolation as well as poor integration”.

Consequently, new English language requirements will apply across a broader range of immigration routes, for both visa applicants and their dependents.��

“It is important that we ensure better integration and consistency in our requirements of family members across the immigration system so we will introduce a new English language requirement for all adult dependants of workers and students at level A1 (Basic User) to align to spousal and partner routes and will work towards increasing this requirement over time,” the paper says.

Increasing the threshold for skilled worker visas to graduate level

The White Paper states that the previous government lowered the skills threshold for the skilled worker route from level 6 (equivalent to degree level) to level 3 (equivalent to A-level standard). It says that this decision will be reversed, which will see salary thresholds rise. This could also see the number of eligible occupations covered by the visa reduced by roughly 180.

According to the document, between 30 and 70 per cent of surveyed graduate visa holders in employment may not have been working in level 6 or above occupations.

Boosting number arriving through ‘very high talent routes’

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While the government is looking to crack down on what it calls “low-skilled” workers, it said it will go “further in ensuring that the very highly skilled have opportunities to come to the UK and access our targeted routes for the brightest and best global talent”. It intends to do this by: 

• Increasing the number of people arriving on very high talent routes
• Increasing places on the government’s scheme for research interns, including those working in the field of artificial intelligence
• Make it simpler for top “scientific and design talent” to use its Global Talent visa

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com