In May 2025, the UK government announced a number of significant changes designed to reduce legal immigration in their Immigration White Paper. Among the areas targeted were study visas, which have come under increase pressure in recent times. International students should pay attention to these changes.
The Labour government have continued to clamp down on immigration, with the Immigration White Paper aiming to reduce the UK’s reliance on foreign labour in favour of upskilling its domestic workforce.
Part of the concern around student visas is the fear that they are open to exploitation, and the idea that students who have no interest in completing their course will use them to stay in the UK or to claim asylum. The white paper also references the fact that of 30% of asylum claims come from visa holders, and of that 30%, almost half of these come from students.
Let’s take a more detailed look at how those on student visas could be impacted by the recent announcements.
Shortening of the Graduate Visa Route
One significant change which was announced is the shortening of the Graduate Visa Route from 2 years to 18 months. This means that a student who graduates from university will now only have 18 months to find work and switch to a long-term work visa such as the Skilled Worker Visa. It is expected that PHD students on the Graduate Visa will continue to be able to stay in the UK for three years post-graduation, however this is not yet confirmed.
The government have also announced plans to introduce a levy on higher education provider income from international students, which will be reinvested into the “higher education and skills system”. No detail has yet been provided as to what this levy will be, but further details are set to be announced in the Autumn budget.
The announced change follows an increase in the number of graduates who are staying on as part of the Graduate Visa route from less than 100,000 in 2022 to 250,000 in 2024.
Tightened Sponsor Compliance Rules
The Immigration White Paper also contains a number of proposals set to impact student sponsors. At the moment, a sponsor will fail its Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA) if they do not have:
- a visa refusal rate of less than 10%
- a course enrolment rate of at least 90% and
- a course completion rate of at least 85%.
Sponsors which fail at least one of these metrics can have their sponsorship licences revoked. They can also be temporarily removed from the Register of Student Sponsors for up to two years.
What new sponsor compliance rules have been proposed?
- Raise the minimum pass rate for each of the BCA metrics by five percentage points
- Simultaneously implement a new Red-Amber-Green banding system to rate the BCA performance of each sponsor and to increase transparency around which are failing
- Introduce new interventions for sponsors who are close to failing their metrics. This will include placing them on a bespoke action plan designed to improve their compliance. They will also have limits imposed on the number of new international students they can recruit while they are subject to those plans
- And finally, to require all sponsors wishing to use recruitment agents for overseas students to sign up to the Agent Quality Framework. This is designed to maintain the highest standards of agent management, and ensure that institutions cannot simply outsource their responsibility to ensure that the individuals whose visas they are sponsoring are genuinely coming to the UK to study.
How can Lisa’s Law help you?
At Lisa’s Law, we specialise in assisting students with visa applications, ensuring you meet all requirements and have the best chance of success. Our team will help you navigate the process, from the initial application to maintaining your status while studying in the UK.
Whether you’re an undergraduate starting your academic journey, a postgraduate advancing your career prospects, or a graduate extending your stay to explore professional pathways, our team offers clear, expert advice tailored to your circumstances.
Have questions? Get in touch today!
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