UK to ‘kick out foreign graduates’ to curb immigration

Foreign graduates could face being sent back to their home countries under plans to "move towards zero net student migration" reportedly being considered by Britain's home secretary Theresa May. 

Students from non-European Union countries would have to subsequently apply for a work visa while abroad in order to continue living in the UK after finishing a course of study, Sunday Times reported, instead of being able to apply for one while still on British soil. 

A source close to the home secretary told the newspaper: "Making sure immigrants leave Britain at the end of their visa is as important a part of running a fair and efficient immigration system as controlling who comes here in the first place."

The UK government has indicated new plans to send back foreign graduates, who come here on student visas, to their home countries at the end of their courses, a move that could affect the enrolment from India in British universities, media reports said on Sunday.

UK home secretary Theresa May is demanding that the Conservative party's next manifesto in Britain to include a pledge forcing students from outside the European Union to leave the UK and apply for a fresh visa from abroad. The move could lead to the sharp dip in the number of Indian students coming to UK, and they are set to be displaced as the second-largest group of foreign students.

Presently, students largely from China and India can switch easily to a work visa and are able to work after their course ends. A British Council study found that Indians are choosing US universities over UK colleges due to strict visa norms on post-study work. Around 30,000 students from India were studying at UK higher education institutions in 2011-12, compared to 40,000 students in 2012-13.