Key features include:
- Post Study Work Visa (PSW) to be replace 6 April
- New Graduate Entrepreneur route
- Only student who graduate from a university, and have a job offer at a salary of at least £20,000 will be allowed to stay
- entrepreneurs or small company directors with £50,000 to invest can stay
- work placements restricted to one-third of the course for international students studying below degree level
International non-EU students are currently allowed work in the UK for 2 years after their studies have finished under the Tier 1 PSW (Post-study work) route. But from 6 April, a more ‘selective’ system will be implemented restricting the right to stay to international graduates who qualify under new rules.
Only those who ‘graduate from a university’, and have a skilled job offer with a minimum salary of £20,000 (or more in some cases) from a reputable employer accredited by the UK Border Agency, will be allowed to continue living and working in the UK.
The new rules are part of a radical shake-up of the student visa immigration system, announced in March 2011, which the government say will:
- Encourage growth – a new Graduate Entrepreneur route will open, with up to 1,000 places for students working on world-class innovative ideas who want to stay and develop them but do not meet the requirements of the Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) route;
- Boost the economy – young entrepreneurs or small company directors will get the chance to stay on in the UK after their studies if they have £50,000 to invest in their business;
- Ensure that students can support themselves – for the first time since 2008, there will be an increase in the amount of money that students and working migrants (and their dependants) must prove they have to support themselves financially during their time in the UK; and
- Tackle abuse – restricting work placements to one-third of the course for international students who are studying below degree level will ensure that those coming to the UK are here to study, not to work (as was often the case in the past). Additionally, the time that can be spent studying at degree level will be restricted to a general limit of 5 years.