On May 15, 2024, UK Day will focus on the following:
● The results of the PSW Graduate visa review are in: the Committee recommends that the UK government retain the visa
● The UK received more than £2 billion in technology investment in a week, focusing on the AI industry
● Three men are suspected of plotting to carry out a terrorist attack in the North West of England
● King Charles of England lost his sense of taste due to cancer treatment
The results of the PSW Graduate visa review are in: the Committee recommends that the UK Government retain the visa
Two months ago (11 March 2024), the UK Home Office officially announced the opening of a "major review" of the Graduate Work Visa (PSW visa) to avoid abuse of this visa type.
Yesterday (May 14), the Migration Advisory Committee, which is responsible for the review, issued a report saying that there is no evidence of widespread abuse of PSW visas in the UK and recommending that the UK government continue to retain this visa type.
Specifically, the latest report from the UK's Migration Advisory Committee states:
- The risk of abuse of the UK PSW visa is relatively low and there is "no disruption" to the integrity and quality of the UK higher education system.
- In 2023, a total of 114,000 PSW visas were issued in the UK, and 30,000 companion visas were issued to the dependents of these applicants.
- Applicants for UK PSW visas are mainly from the following four countries: India, Nigeria, China, and Pakistan, which together account for 70% of all PSW visas, with India accounting for more than 40%.
- The majority of applicants for the PSW visa have completed a postgraduate program.
- The report also said that while PSW visa holders initially had a lower income, their income levels improved over time.
A source close to British Home Secretary Cleverly said that Cleverly would make a final decision after carefully reading the report. Cleverly will also meet with Professor Brian Bell, chair of the Migration Advisory Committee, this week to hear from the latter.
The PSW visa allows international students to stay and work in the UK for two years (three years for a PhD) after completing their studies in the UK, during which they can work or find work without being sponsored by an employer or restricted by the type of work. With the Conservative Government under intense pressure to control net migration, the Home Secretary commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee to conduct the review to consider whether the visa type should be abolished.
The UK received more than £2 billion in technology investment in a week, focusing on the AI industry
This week, the world's leading technology companies invested more than £2 billion in the UK.
US AI start-up CoreWeave has announced that it will build its new European headquarters in London and plans to invest £1 billion to expand its business. The company also plans to open two new data centres in the UK in 2024 and further expand operations in 2025.
Siemens Healthineers has announced that it will invest £250 million to design and manufacture superconducting magnets for MRI scanners at its north Oxfordshire facility, a move that will create more than 1,300 technical jobs.
Earlier this week, London-based British self-driving startup Wayve officially announced that it had received $1 billion in new Series C funding to develop the next generation of AI-powered self-driving cars in the UK.
Three men are suspected of plotting to launch a terrorist attack against the Jewish community
According to the latest news from the British media, on May 14, three men appeared in the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London for allegedly plotting to launch a terrorist attack against the Jewish community in the northwest of England.
It is reported that the three men are Walid Saadaoui, 36, Amar Hussein, 50, and Bilel Saadaoui, Walid Saadaoui's 35-year-old brother, the first two of whom are accused of planning a gun terrorist attack on the Jewish community in the North West of England between December 13, 2023 and May 9, 2024.
Bilel Saadaoui is accused of failing to disclose information to the authorities after learning of the planned terrorist attack.
Trial Judge Rebecca Waller said the plan was inspired by the Islamic State group, with Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein attempting to "kill multiple people with automatic weapons" in the attack.
All three men pleaded not guilty in this trial and will be remanded in custody pending trial and retried at the Central Criminal Court in London on May 24.
King Charles of England lost his sense of taste due to cancer treatment
Beginning last month, King Charles III, who was suffering from cancer, returned to public service with the permission of doctors.
Speaking to a veteran who had undergone chemotherapy for testicular cancer on May 13, Charles, 75, visited Hampshire on May 13 and admitted that he had lost his sense of taste like a veteran because of cancer treatment.
On May 14, Charles' first official portrait after his coronation was unveiled at Buckingham Palace.
The painting was written by Jonathan Yeo and shows Charles in a Welsh Guards uniform with a butterfly about to land on his shoulder.