‘Change in UK visa rules not aimed at Indian students’: UK Minister Lord Tariq Ahmad  

UK Deputy Foreign Minister Lord Tariq Ahmad said the changes in UK visa rules will not impact Indian undergraduate students. Lord Ahmad added that the UK government has benefitted from Indian students and recent visa rules are only for students in research and doctoral studies courses but don’t complete their courses sometimes.  

Lord Ahmad told NDTV: “Those students who come for undergraduate studies and research will always be welcomed”. The minister further stated that Britain only wants to stop illegal immigration while adding the UK wants more students from India. 

His comments come days after UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman said in her written statement to the House of Commons that international students would not be allowed to bring family members into the UK. She added these changes in rules are aimed at post graduate students, except those on research programmes.  

Students on research programmes like research-led masters’ course and PhD would be allowed to bring in family members including children and elderly parents as dependants. Braverman also pledged to clamp down on unscrupulous education agents “who may be supporting inappropriate applications to sell immigration and not education”.  

She added the change in rules is a part of Rishi Sunak government’s measures to bring down annual net migration. These measures will also stop people from using student visas as a backdoor route to finding jobs in the UK.  

Lord Ahmad is on a 4-day visit to India and will meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and senior officials of the External Affairs Ministry today. UK Deputy Foreign Minister’s India visit will focus on strengthening collaboration in the areas of science and technology between the two nations.  

He is also slated to visit Hyderabad to look into innovations in startups. Lord Tariq’s visit is being seen as a positive sign in India-UK relations after the controversy over pro-Khalistan protests outside the Indian Embassy in the UK earlier this year.

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