If the UK wants to remain competitive, it must extend the post-study work visa

Higher education is one of our greatest exports. Now, a combination of uncertainty created by Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic means our place as a global study destination is under threat. If we want to protect our standing as a world leader in HE and support our sector, the government must ensure we remain a competitive study location by extending the post-study work visa.

The current visa, which allows students to work in the UK for two years following the end of their studies, is a huge draw for international students to the UK when choosing their study destination. The visa offers students the opportunity to extend their stay – exploring UK job opportunities and gaining valuable experience in the UK market. The system is mutually beneficial, generating an increase in the number of highly skilled graduates in the UK workforce and helping to support high-value economic growth.

We know that the visa system acts as an incentive to prospective international students and we know that there is a strong appetite for an extension. In a QS survey, 60 per cent of prospective international students said they would be more likely to consider studying in the UK if the post-study work visa was extended by a year. Another recent survey by QS that spoke to university staff found that an extension to the post-study work visa and making it easier to obtain a visa to study in the UK were two of the most popular measures the government could introduce to encourage students to come to the country.

Jo Johnson, former universities minister, has also championed this policy, calling for a doubling of the visa period to four years. Speaking recently, he argued that the two year post-study work visa was “sadly no longer going to be competitive in an environment where universities are chasing fewer international students than ever before”. He is not the only former universities minister to recognise the value of an extended post study work visa. Conservative MP Chris Skidmore has also called on the government to extend the visa to four years.

The research is clear – post-study work visas are a huge draw to international students, we know this and so do other countries. Australia is already making their post-study work visas more flexible to ensure that students who went home during the Covid-19 outbreak are not excluded from being eligible for the visa and therefore at a disadvantage. Similarly, Canada is making changes to their post-study work visa programme that mean international students will be eligible to stay in the country to work even if they begin their studies online. If the UK wants to remain truly competitive, we cannot be left behind while other countries make innovative changes to attract international students.

We need bold evidence-based policies to entice international students, make them feel welcome in the UK and ensure the UK remains a competitive study destination. A key pillar of the government’s international education strategy, published last year, is to increase the total number of students from abroad choosing to study in the UK each year to 600,000 by 2030. While the recent announcement that PhD graduates will benefit from three years of leave is a welcome first step, we need the government to extend the post-study work visa for all international graduates if we are to reach this target.

Crucially, as a number of institutions face financial difficulties due to a predicted lack of international students – we cannot afford not to.

Jessica Turner is group managing director at QS Quacquarelli Symonds