UK confirms Covid visa concessions to April 2022 – as Grad route launches
Published 01/07/2021
The UK’s Minister for Immigration Kevin Foster confirmed on 1 July – the day the new Graduate Route officially opened – that Covid concessions on visa rules around a requirement to be in the UK to study will be extended to 6 April 2022.
The news means international students will be able to continue studying remotely if health and visa protocols require them to do so but can still be eligible for work rights upon graduating.
“Those are the rules that relate, for example, to blended learning and distance learning,” Foster clarified, addressing UKCISA Conference delegates.
“We are keen to avoid this way a surge of travel in late September, early October, not least given a number of our biggest markets for international students, India, Pakistan and I think Nigeria [Nigeria currently on amber travel list] remain on both the UK government and the devolved administrations read lists which would mean to enter managed hotel quarantine on arrival in the UK.”
He added, “Put simply, to use a large amount of capacity in a couple of weeks for that [quarantine] purpose is not something we believe would be an appropriate way forward. For universities to manage the arrival of their own students via that test in those sorts of numbers wouldn’t be particularly helpful either.“
Foster underlined that the government would encourage students to consider 6 April as a “deadline, not a target for arrival”.
“We hope the world will be in a much better position come February and March next year, particularly with vaccination programmes advancing rapidly now in a number in many countries,” he said.
“We accept that to bring the concessions to an end in late September would now not be an appropriate decision, given it is inevitable there will be a large number of countries still on both the UK government’s and the devolved administrations red list at the end of September.”
“We are determined to use the new system to attract global talent”
Foster also used his platform to assure the UK sector that the government is determined to do all it can to support international students.
“Early this year, we ended free movement with Europe and introduced a new points-based system. This represents one of the most significant overhauls of this country’s approach to immigration in decades. And we are determined to use the new system to attract global talent.”
The graduate route is open to all those who successfully complete a degree, at undergraduate level or above. It provides students with an opportunity to work or look for work at any level post-study without needing to be sponsored.
Foster confirmed, “No job offer will be required to qualify for this visa. Someone on the graduate route will be able to work flexibly, switch jobs and develop their careers.
“We believe this will enable them to gain valuable skills and contribute to the economy. They can then apply to switch into a permanent work route, such as skilled worker at any point if they find a suitable job which qualifies for it.”
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