New UK rules, which will come into effect in 2024, restrict family members of overseas students from applying for companion visas. According to the UK Home Office, family members of undergraduate and postgraduate students studying non-research courses from January 2024 will no longer be able to apply for a companion visa, only family members of international students studying a research master's or doctoral degree and receiving a ** funded scholarship can continue to apply for a companion visa. This policy is a big blow to Chinese parents, especially those with young children to take care of, and they have to find someone to care for their children in the UK, which increases their financial burden.
However, although the new policy has caused trouble to some families of international students, it will not be directly affected by the families of older international students such as Li Xiang and Bai Yansong. According to the regulations of the official website of the United Kingdom, this new policy is only for adult international students, and for children between the ages of 4 and 17, parents can apply for a child student companion visa, so families of young international students are not subject to the restrictions of the new policy. For families over the age of 18, they will no longer be entitled to a companion visa.
The UK has become a popular destination for Chinese students in recent years, second only to the US. According to the Higher Education Statistics Office, in the 2021 22 academic year, the number of students from Chinese mainland studying in the UK was 151,690, a year-on-year increase of 547%, accounting for 22 percent of international students3%, in the first place. There are many high-net-worth families in the Chinese student community, and they send their children to the UK for education from primary school. Wang Shiling, the daughter of famous actress Li Xiang, and Bai Qingyang, the son of Bai Yansong, both chose British schools to study abroad. They received an authentic British education, grew up in a British academic atmosphere, and enjoyed the high-quality educational resources of prestigious universities.
Boneton School in the UK is a long-established and prestigious girls' school, and many outstanding women such as Princess Anne, daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, have graduated from the school. The school has produced many outstanding students, with 37% of graduates accepted into the top 10 universities in the UK. Li Xiang's daughter, Wang Shiling, lived in a dormitory at Boneton High School, which gave her the privilege of experiencing the learning environment that members of the royal family used to have. Wang Shiling is a star child, and her study abroad experience has also attracted the attention and concern of many parents.
Although the new policy will not have a direct impact on most families of Chinese students, for parents like Li Xiang who have the financial resources and time to accompany them, the new policy may have an impact on their decision. After announcing his retirement in 2023, Li Xiang has more time and energy to spend with his children. However, the new policy prohibits family members of international students from accompanying them to study, which means that they cannot directly accompany their children to study and live in the UK. For parents like Li Xiang, this may influence their decision to continue to choose the UK as their child's study destination.
However, with the increasing economic power of Chinese families and the emphasis on international education, it is expected that more and more families in China's international student population will choose the UK as a study destination. Therefore, even if the new policy restricts the accompanying visas for family members of international students, the overall impact on Chinese students may be small.
In addition to the impact of the new policy on Chinese students' families, international students are also facing the problem of staying in the UK after graduation. With the tightening of immigration policies in the UK, it is difficult for graduates to find a job to convert to a work visa to stay in the UK. In the past, there was also an investment immigration route in the UK, which allowed you to obtain status by investing a certain amount of money. However, with the change of the international situation, the UK has closed the investment immigration program, resulting in the inability of international students to obtain status through this route.
At present, international students seeking a work visa have become the main way to stay in the UK. They can obtain a 5-year work visa through employer-sponsored immigration such as a skilled work permit, and can apply for permanent residency after 5 years. This is a viable option for international students looking to develop their careers in the UK.
To sum up, the impact of the new UK policy on the families of Chinese students is limited. Although the new policy prohibits the family members of international students from accompanying them, it is not applicable to families of young international students. For parents like Li Xiang who are in a position to accompany their children to study abroad, the new policy may have some influence on their decision. However, as Chinese families place more emphasis on international education, it is expected that the Chinese student population will continue to choose the UK as a study destination. For Chinese students, career development after studying abroad is also an issue to consider, and they may need to use a technical work permit to stay in the UK and look for a job. With the tightening of immigration policies in the UK, international students need to find suitable ways to achieve their long-term development plans in the UK.