The British government announced on Tuesday new rules for student visas that will include restrictions for family reunification with the aim of reducing immigration.
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The net migration balance, which fell during the pandemic, is on the rise and is expected to hit a record this year.
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According to official statistics published in November, net migration for June 2022 was 500,000 people.
New figures will be published this week and these data are awaited with expectation, since successive Conservative governments since Brexit have promised to reduce immigration, without success.
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This new plan states that only graduate students designated as research programs may invite dependent family members .
In addition, foreign students will not be able to change from a student visa to a work visa before completing their training.
In 2022, about 136,000 visas were issued to dependents of foreign students, up from 16,000 in 2019, according to official data.
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“We have registered an unprecedented increase in the number of people in charge of students who come to our country with visas. The time has come to limit this route,” declared Interior Minister Suella Braverman.
The issue of immigration control dominated the debates during the referendum campaign that determined the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union.
But since then, successive conservative governments have failed to reduce immigration figures, either through legal or irregular routes, despite promises to regain control of the borders.
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AFP
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