UK work visa abolished for internationals

https://www.workpermit.com/news/2011-02- ... hanges.htm

Very interesting stuff, however, it doesn't clarify the post-study route yet, which is the main concern for folks here.

I don't understand why LBS is not updating us on this topic!!

I'll admit that I'm speculating a bit on this, but I suspect that at present, there is not much for LBS (or any other UK schools) to tell us. I emailed my point person at the school several weeks ago when I first caught word of the proposed changes, and I was informed at the time that, while no new information was available, LBS was in talks with the UK Gov't about this. I think it's safe to say that, while the school may be talking and lobbying behind closed doors, they can't really give us a play-by-play account of what is being discussed.

With that in mind, I'm personally left doing my best to gauge the situation based on what I read in the news and from the public figures involved. This is inherently a speculative endeavor. The link to Damian Green's speech gives me some cause for hope, as he does touch on the distinction between "highly trusted sponsors" and other sponsor categories, stating that the government's goal is not to damage the reputation of the UK's best institutions. It seems to me that this "highly trusted sponsor" category would provide a means to curb the types of abuse alleged by the UK Gov't while not affecting the country's best-known schools. The extent that the UK Gov't is able and willing to craft good public policy may determine whether they're able to achieve the changes they want without decreasing opportunities for UK MBA graduates (or spouse's right to work, which is my main concern right now).

Obviously, if anybody out there has any concrete information, I'd love to hear it. Until then, let the waiting continue. We'll hopefully be hearing soon.

ya I also wrote to my point person recently and received a similar response of no comments.......I also quoted a article I had read recently (see link below) which was about India's take on this.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/India-ups ... 6013.aspx#

I was told they haven't heard of this before ......and that I should follow the official ukba site.
Anyways, fingers crossed and hopefully as you mentioned already, they would just make a highly trusted category

Hi guys,

Does anybody have any news on the visa issue in the UK? The new tier 2 quota of 20700 is down from how much?

And if that is the case, will be impact be big in London based MBAs?

Thanks,

Mark

When will the new rules be finalized?

Hey folks

I found a good article over here, which to me sounded clearer than all others. I decided to put it in the drawings so we could discuss it.
Is there a knowledgeable person who could confirm my understanding of the visa changes?


uk-visa-changes

The article is here:
https://www.globalvisas.com/blog/uk-immigration-cap-a-comprehensive-breakdown.html

I have posted an update on the Tier 1 Post Study Work Visa consultations on my blog at

https://www.thecambridgembaadmissions.co ... ent-visas/

Conrad Chua
Head MBA Admissions
Cambridge Judge Business School

The home affairs committee published the report on student visa's here :
https://www.parliament.uk/business/commi ... s-release/

Interesting snippet on page 10 :
"22. As we discuss later, business schools are an extremely successful sector in the education
export industry. With the London Business School rated as the number 1 business school
in the world by the Financial Times and ten of the top 50 business schools in the world
based in the UK, this sector ought to be considered a jewel in the UK’s crown. We seek
assurances from the Government that any proposed changes to the student visa regime
are examined for their impact on the viability and success of UK business schools."

Interpret it anyway you like, but at least its good to see that the government acknowledges this fact. This is the same document as CambridgeMBA posted above. Conrad's CambridgeMBA blog has some interesting other observations (thank you for posting those).

The UK Home Secretary will make an announcement about student visas at 3:30 pm UK time today (22nd March). As part of that announcement, there should be some news about the Post Study Work Visa.

You can read a bit more on my blog at
https://www.thecambridgembaadmissions.co ... work-visa/

and I will try to keep everyone posted.

Conrad Chua
Head MBA Admissions
Cambridge University

Thanks, Conrad. It looks like the announcement is out: https://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/media-cent ... nt-changes. It doesn't look good for the PSW visa.

This also doesn't clarify the issue of whether dependents/spouses can work on programs longer than 1 year. Perhaps the fact that it doesn't specify is a good sign and they don't plan to change that. I'm mostly concerned about whether my wife will be able to work while I'm at LBS.

Summary of this announcement can be found here :
https://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.as ... ubjectId=2

The most relevant points being:
* students at universities and publicly funded further education colleges will retain current work rights but all other students will have no right to work, and we will place restrictions on work placements at courses outside of universities;
* only postgraduate students at universities and government sponsored students will be allowed to bring their dependants. At the moment all students on longer courses are able to bring dependants;
* closure of the Post Study Work route, which allowed students two years to seek employment after their course ended. Only those graduates who have an offer of a skilled job from a sponsoring employer, in Tier 2 of the Points-Based System, will be able to stay to work

At least the 20 hours/week work feature and work for internship type items will be retained.

Further analysis relevant for current students :

Switching provisions :
https://www.rec.uk.com/press/news/1492

"
While the general post-study visa route will end in April 2012, non-EU students graduating with a recognised degree and who have been offered a job paying at least £20k will be able to switch into Tier 2, the work permit route. Employers taking on graduates under these conditions will not be burdened with the time-consuming 'resident labour market test' that has caused delays in the past."

Thanks for posting that article about switching to Tier 2 without going through the labour market test. What I am trying to find out is whether someone could switch to Tier 2 without being counted against the annual cap of 20,700. The people who are currently on PSWs are allowed to do so as long as they are in a job for six months.

I have blogged some quick thoughts on this.
https://www.thecambridgembaadmissions.co ... udy-visas/

More details of the student visa changes have emerged.

https://www.thecambridgembaadmissions.co ... ent-visas/

The details are actually very promising. They mean that the best way to work in the UK for a non-EU citizen will be to do an MBA in the UK because you can switch to Tier 2 without counting towards the annual quota, and your employer does not have to use the resident labour market test. If you are not studying for an MBA, the only possibility for you to work in the UK, if you are applying from outside the country, will be to find an employer who will sponsor you and count you against the Tier 2 annual quota of 20,700.

As always, I have to make the caveat that I am not an immigration lawyer and these are my quick thoughts from reading the documents.

Conrad Chua
Head MBA Admissions
Cambridge University.

Thanks again, Conrad! That does appear very promising. While the PSW visa is an excellent incentive to obtain an MBA in the UK, they do seem to have built in a backdoor method of achieving a similar pathway to work. Although, I may be taking a somewhat narrow focus based on how most MBA grads are recruited. I would assume that any job offers still have to come from companies approved to sponsor Tier 2 visas, and while that list does include a good majority of companies that normally recruit MBA grads, some previous job opportunities (not to mention new, innovative ones) may be left out.

I'm certainly curious to learn more about the student entrepreneur idea in the last bullet point. I wonder if it's related at all to the recent start-up visa rules.

I'm obviously also very pleased that my wife won't have to compromise her career for me to attend LBS.