UK Govt Criticized for Not Including Graduates From African Universities in Work Visa Scheme
Categories: UK EDUCATION NEWS
The UK government’s announcement to offer work visas to graduates from top universities in the world has not been welcomed by some academics.Commenting on the university ranking system, the professor of the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, Irina Filatova, told CNN that the system was biased, favoring English language and technological universities.Over the past few days, the government issued a press release announcing that the country is offering work visas to graduates from the world’s top universities, aiming to attract “the brightest and best international talent.The High Potential Individual Visa (HPI) allows graduates who have earned bachelor’s or master’s degrees from renowned universities during a period of five years to apply for a two-year work visa, while PhD graduates are allowed to apply for a three-year visa. Graduates can afterwards switch to longer-term employment visas.The visa scheme, according to the government, is part of changes made to the immigration system after allowing the EU to restore control on UK borders so the country can welcome international talent based on their skills and not their country of origin.Among the universities that have been included in the government’s list is the University of Michigan.The list published on the government’s website includes universities with qualifications awarded between November 1, 2021, and October 31, 2022. Among the top institutions included in the list are:
Most recently, a survey conducted by the education analysts QS found that international students worldwide would be more likely to enroll at UK higher education institutions if they could work in the country for more than two years after completing studies.