U.K. immigration crackdown could hit 6,000 Canadian students
2015/08/11 2 Comments
Strange – the worry about fraud undermines a pathway to skilled immigrants (cancellation of pre-Permanent Resident credit in Canada towards citizenship residency requirements, while not as strong as UK measures, will likely reduce attractiveness of Canada as a destination):
British Home Secretary Theresa May has announced a wave of changes to the United Kingdom’s immigration rules, effective in November, that target international students.
The aim is to curb what the government calls an increase in visa fraud by students who arrive on a study permit and enter the job market instead, thereby bypassing the strict requirements needed to obtain a legal work visa.
It’s the latest in a series of crackdowns by Prime Minister David Cameron’s government, which has promised to reduce annual net migration to the U.K. from “hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands.”
The U.K. is one of the most popular places for Canadians to study abroad, second only to the U.S. For the 2013-14 academic year, there were more than 6,000 Canadian students enrolled at higher education institutions in the U.K., a three per cent increase from 2012, according to Britain’s Higher Education Statistics Agency.
Like Hirschy, many of these students hope to stay and work, but the new legislation will make this more difficult.
U.K. immigration crackdown could hit 6,000 Canadian students – Canada – CBC News.
About Andrew
Multicultural Meanderings 
I mean, what else can UK Home Office do? they do not control the vast majority of migrants (with EU passports), but they promised to reduce net migration! Switching all other taps off is the only way!
that is a shame, Andrew, that Canadian students may not be able to attend university and perform work in the UK: I have known quite a few who have. My daughter, who was a student at UNB in Fredericton, spent a year at the University of Southampton, , part of a regular exchange program with UNB. She acquired experience there through a placement (in midwifery) which she could not have had in Canada. I am sure Canada has benefited from that in her practice today in a hospital here. Students from the UK coming to Fredericton would have similarly shared knowledge gained on their return. There are many people in medical professions who spend periods of time working in different countries, and we can all benefit from that.
Incidentally, my children were born in Canada but because I was born in the UK, they are now second class citizens here as of the recent legislation. Changes in legislation in all of these countries will not protect us from those determined to harm us but will definitely lead to a reduction in benefits gained from having our professionals free to gain experience elsewhere.