UK Day on 1 May 2024 will focus on:
● The UK government may prohibit poor schools from issuing student visas, and consider canceling the PSW graduate visa
● The UK's new immigration policy has taken effect, and the number of UK visas issued in the first quarter of this year has dropped significantly
● British officials have lost contact with thousands of illegal refugees who will be deported to Rwanda
● Rents in the UK have risen to a new high, with the average monthly rent in London reaching £2,633
● The pound fell slightly as the market waited for the Fed to release new news
The UK government may prohibit the issuance of student visas by poor schools, and consider cancelling the PSW Graduate visa
According to a number of British media reports, a new report published by think tank Onward recommends that the British government carry out a complete reform of immigration policy to reduce the total number of permanent immigrants to the UK, which is reportedly supported by Cabinet Secretary Michael Gove.
According to the report, the think tank recommended that the British government ban lower-performing universities from issuing student visas to international students. "Visa policy should give preference to those with the highest skills and earning potential. Low-skilled, low-wage immigrants should be phased out, and only selected high-level universities should issue student visas. ”
Separately, the UK's Migration Advisory Committee MAC will complete its review of the PSW Graduate visa in mid-May, and the government is expected to announce new measures to tighten the Graduate visa once the relevant report is received.
The think tank suggested that graduate visas, which allow foreign students to work in the UK for two years after completing their course, should also be abolished. The Times, citing official sources, pointed out that the options currently considered by the British government include reducing the legal period of stay for a graduate visa from two years to one year or six months, or even abolishing this legal channel entirely.
In addition, the think tank has recommended that the UK government set up an "immigration office" to assess the impact of immigration on the UK economy and society.
In the year to March 2023, more than 21,000 asylum applications were made by foreigners who entered the UK on legal visas, the highest number since 2003 and growing by 154% annually, according to the data. Among them, student visas are the most commonly used channel, accounting for nearly 30% of such cases.
According to the report, more than one-third of these students who applied for asylum after entering the country obtained visas through five universities and one educational institution, with a total of 2,195 visas.
The five UK universities are at least Portsmouth University, De Montfort University, University of Hertfords, Coventry University, and University for the Creative Arts.
The UK's new immigration policy has taken effect, and the number of UK visas issued has dropped significantly in the first quarter of this year
On April 30, the British Home Office officially released the latest statistics, saying that in the first quarter of 2024, the number of skilled worker, medical/nursing and student visas issued by the British government was 139,100, down from 184,000 in the first quarter of 2023, a significant decrease of a quarter compared with the same period last year.
The report pointed out that this shows that the British government's efforts to reduce the number of legal immigrants have begun to bear fruit.
Specifically, the number of student visas issued in the UK in the first quarter of this year was 40,700, down from 72,800 in the first quarter of 2023, and the number of visas issued to student dependents fell sharply from 32,900 to 6,700.
In the first quarter of this year, 2,400 medical/nursing visas were issued, down 83% from 14,300 in the same period last year, and the number of visas issued to dependents of healthcare visa applicants fell from 16,700 to 13,200.
The number of skilled worker visas issued in the UK in the first quarter of this year was broadly in line with the same period last year, mainly because the increase in the minimum wage for work permits only came into effect on April 4.
British officials have lost contact with thousands of illegal refugees who will be deported to Rwanda
Of the 5,700 illegal boat people identified for deportation to the African country of Rwanda, only 2,145 have their addresses recorded and continue to be reported to the Ministry of the Interior, while the remaining 3,555 have lost contact, citing government documents.
Once the UK government officially launches the repatriation program, it is likely that these missing illegal boat people will go into hiding to avoid being deported to Rwanda.
Rents in the UK have risen to a new high, with the average monthly rent in London reaching £2,633
On April 30, statistics from Rightmove, an authoritative British real estate website, showed that in the first quarter of 2024, the average asking price of rental properties outside London rose to a new high of £1,291 per month, while the average asking price of rent in London reached £2,633 per month. Currently, the average rent for rental advertising in London is 5.3% higher than the same period last year.
Rightmove noted that the lack of rentable properties and high demand have driven rents higher. While the number of properties currently available for rent is up 11% from a year ago, it's still 26% below 2019 levels. At the same time, tenant demand is 54% higher than in 2019.
With not enough properties available for rent, there are now an average of 13 tenant enquiries per rental property in the UK, nearly three times the average of five tenants in March 2019.
The pound edged lower as markets awaited a new release from the Federal Reserve
Over the past 24 hours (April 30 - May 1), the pound has weakened slightly against the dollar and is currently trading at 1.249.
Analysts note that, like other markets, the GBP/USD exchange rate was also affected by the Fed's monetary policy meeting in May. The Fed will announce new news on May 1, adding to the wait-and-see sentiment in European markets.
Over the past 24 hours, the pound has fallen 0.2% against the yuan, and the current exchange rate is at 9.04.
As of this time (May 1), the latest exchange rate of the British pound is as follows: