The University of Lincoln are joining forces with universities across the UK. They are calling on the UK government to reconsider its reversal of a commitment to allow international students to stay post-graduation without a visa. This call to action comes in the wake of a dramatic drop in international student applications. At the University of Lincoln, for example, those applications have dropped by 51% since the visa changes were introduced. The institution, where one in seven students hails from overseas, is concerned about the impact on both its academic community and the local economy.
In the 2023-24 academic year, the University of Lincoln counted 2,995 applications from international students. This number dropped to a shocking 1,460 for the upcoming 2024-25 academic year. The Home Office release announced a new high of 393,125 student visas issued in 2024. This figure is a 14% decrease from the number signed into law in 2023. Even after this significant dip, the number of visas awarded is still 46% greater than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
The University of Lincoln has publicly opposed all these moves, highlighting the millions of dollars contributed to the local economy by international students. Michael Stacey, the general manager of Craft bar, confirmed this assertion. He argued that international students have been essential to improving his university’s bottom line and the economic health of their surrounding community.
"They're a massive economic benefit and a massive social benefit. They improve everything."
The student cost burden for international students is an urgent concern, with most paying between £25,000 and £30,000 per year. For students on creative writing courses, this figure exceeds £30,000. Students, including Tsuy Tuong from Vietnam and Godswill James from Nigeria, provided a glimpse into their life experiences. Tuong first dreamed of studying in England when she was 15 years old because of her passion for British culture. James brought attention to even bigger hurdles like upfront course fees and inflation.
Raha Fazlollahei from Iran expressed mixed emotions about her journey.
"It helps me to grow to be independent and I really like this. I'm 22 right now and at this age I can be on my own."
Sibghatullah Karimi, Afghanistan, one of several introductory statements expressing the economic hardships students from Asian and African nations face. These challenges are due to the differences in value between currencies.
"The students from Asian and African countries, their currency difference is too high, so if we convert that currency, it would be in the millions."
The university noted that scrapping the dependents visa has reduced the UK’s attractiveness as a study destination. This shift has especially hurt international master’s students as all higher education institutions, public and private, compete in a fiercely competitive global student recruitment market.
"Removal of the dependents visa has made the UK a less attractive study destination overall in a competitive global marketplace for student recruitment, particularly for international masters students." – The university
