UUK responds to the Migration Advisory Committee annual report 2023

When the government launched its International Education Strategy in 2019, the purpose of reintroducing a competitive post-study work offer was clear: to enable universities to compete on the global stage to recruit international students and to help boost export earnings. As the Migration Advisory Committee recognises, judged in these terms the Graduate route has been a “resounding success”. It has helped the UK to regain our position as the second most popular study destination for globally mobile students, and this underpins a huge economic contribution. Our research shows that a single cohort of international students generates almost £42 billion for the UK.

The Graduate route visa is central to both government and sector strategies to diversify the pipeline for international student recruitment and help distribute the benefits of international students across the full diversity of the UK’s excellent universities. As domestic funding pressures have become acute, international recruitment has also become increasingly important to the financial sustainability of the sector.

What students and universities now need is stability and certainty. Government must continue to reassure prospective international students that the UK remains open, and that the Graduate route is here to stay. Universities UK looks forward to working with the Migration Advisory Committee on the forthcoming review to ensure that the Graduate route continues to deliver for students, universities, and for the UK.