Ahead of giving evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee on Thursday 30 January, we have made a written submission to the Committee. The session will look at UK-EU trade and Cooperation Agreement, with a focus on youth mobility. In our submission, we highlight the various youth mobility options within…
Tag: International
Retaining talent in Scotland: First Minister’s migration aspirations
In a speech in Glasgow today (Wednesday, 22 January) First Minister John Swinney spoke to his aspiration to work with the UK Government to develop migration policy that would help to support Scotland’s future workforce and population needs, thereby boosting economic prosperity. The outline policy proposal sees Scotland-specific dimensions to the retention of highly skilled…
UK Government outlines position on international students
Last week, the Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson set out the position of the Labour Government on international students. She made it clear that international students are welcome in the UK. We strongly welcome this announcement. International students contribute widely to society and to our communities during their time in the UK. Our…
Universities “relieved” the Graduate Route for international students has been retained
The UK Government has today confirmed that the graduate route will remain in place for international students of all UK universities. The graduate route allows international students to remain in the UK upon graduation for two years (on average) after successful completing a relevant course in the UK. The UK Government had been expected to…
Will Whitehorn: The importance of the graduate route to the UK
Published in The Times today, Will Whitehorn outlines the importance of the graduate route to the UK, determining that it should remain as it is. He highlights that the removal or reform of the graduate route would have a negative impact on university finances immediately, and a damaging impact on industry, on growth, on innovation…
Universities Scotland responds to the Migration Advisory Committee’s report on the Graduate Route for international students
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has today, published its report evaluating the Graduate Route, as part of student immigration, as commissioned by the UK Government earlier this year. The key recommendation, one of six in the report, is that the Graduate Route should be retained in its current form. The MAC was asked to review…
Joint letter warns of risks to Scottish economy if migrations rules are tightened
We, with Scottish Cities Alliance, have written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak regarding our concerns of the Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) review of the graduate route, and the implications increased migration controls would have on international students. We emphasise that the economic benefits that international students bring to Scotland go far beyond universities as they…
Scotland’s universities demonstrate integrity in international recruitment with adoption of the UK Agent Quality Framework
17 of Scotland’s universities and higher education institutions have pledged adoption of the UK Agent Quality Framework, making a strong commitment to integrity and transparency in the use of international agents. The move seeks to uphold the highest standards in international recruitment and therefore reassure prospective and current students, the public and politicians, where universities’…
International links: importance and strengthening of Scotland’s relationships
Ela Kossakowska, our Connected Scotland project officer, has written a blog about an event led by Connected Scotland with Scotland’s Universities International Group (SUIG), hosted at Scotland House in London, with the aim of building and strengthening Scotland’s international relationships. Connected Scotland and SUIG once again invited education and culture attaches and sponsors to Scotland…
International students critically important for Scottish jobs, growth and global ambitions
International students have contributed between £4-6 billion to Scottish economy. The graduate route is a win-win for international students and the UK. The MAC’s planned review of the Graduate Route visa must retain an internationally attractive post-study work route in the UK. Since 2019, the presence of international students in Scotland, supported by the Graduate…