Yesterday, international students in the UK woke up to the long awaited good news from the government – the new two-year post study visa. The campaign for the return of the two-year visa system has been going on for some time now, so this move is welcomed by UK universities and international students across the country. Currently, graduates with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree are only able to stay in the UK for four months to look for jobs but from next year, all international students could qualify for this new post study visa.

This will enable companies and businesses in the country to recruit talent from across the globe - ensuring that international students’ brilliance will not go unnoticed. Obviously, this is great news for all international students in the country but there are still policies that limit the reach of the post study visa. These include things like the salary threshold (£30/36k a year), the ridiculous immigration surcharge and privatisation of the visa service. Also, there’s still a huge lack of international student data by the Office of Students (OfS). Moving forward, it would be great for universities to closely monitor this to eliminate the international students’ attainment gap. As your Equalities Officer, I will continue to lobby the University on issues affecting students to ensure that your life at university can only get better.

This new visa announcement has given me the opportunity to introduce to you a new Student Network; the Global Citizens Network. This is a group created by students for both international and home students to run campaigns around the issues affecting international students studying in the UK. By being a part of the Global Citizens Network, you’ll have a space dedicated to discussing various issues around the representation of international students studying in the UK. More information on the Global Citizens Network can be found on the SU website.

Though this news within the education sector is still fresh in our minds, don’t forget about our upcoming Welcome Festival! I look forward to meeting you all then.

Adetayo

Equalities Officer