A new trend has developed among students going to the United Kingdom to study. The trend is that a number of students are converting their student visas to skilled worker visas soon after entering the UK.
They are doing so by quitting their studies because there is a shortage of manpower in the UK and thus, there are a number of job vacancies.
How Many Students Got Visas Converted?
With a loss of manpower in the UK in sectors such as healthcare, home care, and more, there are a lot of opportunities for students to get work. Hence, approximately 10% of the students have already converted their visas and are making the most of this opportunity.
According to the new rules in the UK, changes have been made in the eligibility criteria for their skilled worker visa and thus, it has now become easier for international students to get their visas converted.
New Changes
Students no longer are required to complete their degrees. Any student who gets a job offer from an employer who has been approved by the Home Office, he/she can apply to convert their student visa to a skilled worker visa immediately.
Also Read: UK Excludes India From Obtaining Easier Student Visas: Why?
The owner of Dhawan Educational Consultancy, Chitresh Dhawan said, “Such students can get a work permit for a particular period, which may be for two years or even five.”
“They can further extend the permit depending on their future employer. So far around 90% of students are completing their courses but the trend of shifting visas is increasing,” he added.
What Are The Benefits?
The previous month, the British High Commission gave 1.27 lakh Indian students visas between September 2021 to September 2022. From the period of 2018 to 2019, there has been an increase of 273%.
The UK student visa is highly demanded and due to COVID-19, there was a backlog of applications. Hence, the number of Indian students in the UK skyrocketed. Now with new regulations, they are getting their visas converted. But, is it beneficial?
Consultant Gurdeep Singh said that getting student visas converted before the degree is completed is of benefit to students who want their work permits faster.
He said, “There are several students whose main aim is to work in the UK and not study and if they can get their visas converted, they don’t need to complete the entire course for which they need to pay semester-wise. Hence, save up a huge amount of money (any 2–3-year degree course requires around Rs 30 to 40 lakh per student).”
However, with the majority of students following this trend, universities and colleges are at a loss because students tend to leave their studies mid-way and go on working full-time.
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Feature image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: Economic Times, The Print, Indian Express
Find the blogger: Palak Dogra
This post is tagged under: UK, United Kingdom, UK student’s visa, study visa, skilled worker visa, UK immigration, UK visa
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