Post Brexit student visa extension offered to international students

In a bid to boost the number of overseas students studying at UK Universities, the government have offered a post Brexit student visa extension of up to a year.

The current policy has restricted students stay to just four months. This means that the UK loses many recent graduates because of the pressure on them to secure work. There have also been discussions around more changes to the support offered to international students throughout the UK visa application process. As well as identifying employment opportunities available to them post Brexit.

This signals a shift in strategy. With the post Brexit emphasis now being placed on the welcome that the UK offers international students and how we acknowledge their value.

Janet Beer, vice-chancellor of Liverpool University and chair of Universities UK, highlighted this saying: “International students contribute a huge amount to the UK, not only economically but also by enriching the international education environment in our universities for all students. While their presence in the UK is worth an estimated £26bn in direct and knock-on effects, sustaining over 200,000 jobs in all parts of the UK, they bring much wider benefit to our academic and civic communities. We particularly welcome steps to improve the visa regime, including the extension of opportunities for our graduates to work in the UK once they graduate”

In a time when Brexit uncertainty will be at the forefront of prospective international students minds, this is all positive change for both prospective and existing international students studying in the UK. This change offers a great incentive to students regarding graduate employment opportunities in the UK.