Good news for international students planning to pursue education in UK.
The UK Home Office has confirmed that international students will remain eligible for post-study work rights upon graduation if they begin or continue their studies online in the 2020/21 academic year. If they are in the UK by April 6 and complete the final semester of their studies in the UK, international students will still be eligible to access the graduate immigration route.
Additionally, if students are required to either continue their current studies or commence a new course by distance or blended learning due to Covid-19, they will still be eligible to switch into the Graduate route on a concessionary basis if they spent some time studying outside the UK.
This is a long awaited and overdue announcement from the UK government and was required to help institutions deliver. In fact, the delay in the announcement has led to students seriously considering other options.
Former UK universities minister Jo Johnson called for the government to double the length of the UK post-study work visa from 2 to 4 years to help the sector overcome the double shock of Covid-19 and Brexit. UUKi, UKCISA and BUILA also want delayed implementation of visa system in Europe to January 2022 to avoid imposing new barriers for EU students.