Visa restrictions on international students remain set in stone under UK's new Labour government

The UK’s ruling Labour Party has confirmed that it will not overturn the Conservative government's restrictive student visa policies, with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson stating there are no plans to lift the current restrictions on international students.

When asked in an interview with Sky News if Conservative “visa restrictions” for international students should be reversed, Phillipson said, “We don’t intend to change that.”

“But what I do say is that international students who come to our country and study do make a tremendous contribution,” she said.


Under the Conservatives, new regulations were introduced banning international taught master’s students from bringing dependents to the UK starting January 1, 2024. Phillipson recognized the financial difficulties faced by UK universities and criticized the Conservatives' handling of the sector.

“I think the last government were far too focused on picking fights and on suggesting somehow that university wasn’t for some people, rather than actually acting in the national interest to make sure that our brilliant universities, who are a beacon around the world and are so well respected, are able to succeed into the future,” she said.

“It is not the case that international students are taking places that would’ve otherwise been available to domestic students, in fact they are cross subsidising students from the UK, and we’ve seen a drop in undergraduate admissions from international students in this phase.”

According to Home Office data, study visa applications from January to July 2024 were 16% lower than the same period in 2023.