Indian students find the graduate visa, which was introduced in 2021, appealing because it permits international students to remain in the UK for a minimum of two years following the completion of their course.
Indian Students Find Graduate Visa Appealing
According to Dr. Stephen Jarvis, Provost and Vice-Principal of the University of Birmingham (UOB), visa policies have benefited from the UK’s political transition. “One of the first announcements that the new government made was reassurance on this visa policy,” he told the Times of India during his visit to Goa.
Dr. Jarvis underlined that the UK is a great option for overseas students because of its stability under the current administration for the ensuing five years. “For students who are contemplating where to go in the world if they do want to study overseas, the UK is in a good position now,” he added.
International students on a Tier 4 student visa are eligible for a two-year graduate visa if they earn a bachelor’s or postgraduate degree from the UK, and three years if they earn a PhD or doctorate.
If students find employment in the UK, they can convert their graduate visa to a skilled worker visa.
“One of the reasons that we put a post-study work visa in place is because we are very interested in trying to attract the best talent into the country,” Dr. Jarvis stated, emphasizing the emphasis on engineering, technology, and biological sciences.
Higher Education and Employment At UK Universities
Higher education and employment are becoming more closely linked at UK universities, especially those in the Russell Group like UOB. According to Dr. Jarvis, “the graduate visa is part of that and is important to us,”
In order to ensure that students acquire skills in areas like communication and artificial intelligence, UOB works with businesses to match curriculum development with industry needs.
Over the past three years, UOB has enrolled about 2,500 Indian students, with about 60 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate students each year.
UOB is regarded as one of the best universities for graduate employment, and the number of Indian postgraduate research students has been rising steadily.
Dr. Jarvis stated that many companies are moving from London to Birmingham, creating job opportunities in the creative, tech, and sports management sectors. “The city of Birmingham is young, cosmopolitan, and vibrant and a great place to study and work,” he added.
Indian professionals and students are concerned about the UK’s increasing salary thresholds for skilled worker visas, but top universities are unaffected. “Statistics indicate that we have no issues with this at all. As Dr. Jarvis explained, “our graduating students are getting good jobs with pretty good salaries.”
He suggested that Indian students choose their universities carefully. “Reputable universities will keep drawing talented students, providing them with excellent instruction and amazing opportunities. Naturally, though, that isn’t always the case at other universities.
Indian students now prefer courses in sustainability, climate change, renewable energy, material science, and aerospace over computer science and MBAs.
STEM-related courses are not the only ones that are preferred. “We have seen a big rise in interest in sports management and creative fields among international students. These have become very attractive areas to work in,” Dr. Jarvis noted.
With its well-liked UOB Elevate platform among Indian students, UOB encourages students to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors.
“It is a platform that provides professional support for them to be able to take their work forward and think about how they might develop it in terms of startups,” Dr. Jarvis stated.
Lord Karan Bilimoria, the former chancellor of UOB, had a strong interest in student entrepreneurship and founded a number of startup programs.
