“Life feels uncertain”: Why international students are losing faith in the UK dream
This is the third article in this year’s series of student publications written as part of GO Justice’s Journalism for Social Change Project. The initiative was designed to support students interested in social justice to develop their journalistic writing skills and create a finished piece of writing for publication. We are delighted to share that all articles were selected to appear in The National newspaper. Here we publish a selection of the finished works.
When Ali Dada arrived in the UK from Pakistan in 2024 to study law, he imagined the start of a new life - a degree, a career, maybe even a permanent home. A year later, that vision feels like an unattainable dream.
“It is terrible because it makes life uncertain for international students as they have to constantly juggle between studying and keeping up with the immigration rules”, he says. “Oh no, will I be deported? You can’t really focus on the academics when you’re always worried about your visa. You’re just trying to live a normal life.”
On campuses across the UK, international students echo the same anxiety: that the door which once opened to opportunity is slowly closing as the immigration rules are being tightened. The UK’s 2025 Immigration White Paper policy document Restoring control over the immigration system published on 12 May 2025, is now moving towards its third and final reading in the Parliament.
Even though the white paper doesn't itself change the law, it signals at the changes that will be made to the current immigration rules. Among its many proposals, the policy changes that will impact International students are reducing the Graduate Route from 2 years to 18 months, raising skill worker visa thresholds to RQF level- 6 and a potential increase in Immigration skills charge. While there is no specific schedule on when these changes will be enforced, reducing the list of jobs eligible for Skilled worker visa and ending the recruitment of overseas social care workers have been implemented since 22 July 2025. Moving forward, the increase in Immigration skills charge will come into force from 16 December 2025 and graduate visas will only last for 18 months if you apply for a visa starting 1 January 2027.
“This practically changed everything” says Mr. Rizwan Liaquat, an Immigration Solicitor in Scotland who advises many students each year. “The margins were already very tight,” he explains. “Students were limited to 20 working hours, their spouses now face new restrictions, financial requirements have become harder, and tuition fees keep going up exponentially. Meanwhile, the value of the degrees is not as valuable anymore. So you have to ask - is it still worth it for students? When you're squeezed for hours of study and have to maintain yourself financially with barely any support, everything becomes harder. You're not focusing on education anymore - you're focusing on survival.”
For Ms. Priyathi Bhende, Head of Operations at an Immigration law firm, the system is becoming not just restrictive, but incomprehensible. “People don’t know who the new rules apply to. Students who came in 2022 or 2021 are terrified even though these changes don’t affect them. There’s no clarity on who these new rules apply to, and no one is explaining it properly. So misinformation spreads and people panic.”
Many students now question whether the rules will change again, and whether investing around £22,000 or £17,109 per year in tuition for an undergraduate degree and postgraduate degree respectively, will truly pay off. “It’s nerve-wracking because you’re unsure if you’re getting a job once you graduate”, says Mitchelle Roger, a law student who moved from Nigeria. “If I don’t get sponsorship, I’ll have to leave. It will destroy my plans drastically.” Her words reflect a growing fear: that students who arrive eagerly to contribute and build their life are now being pushed to leave before they can even begin.
According to the House of Commons Library, International students generated an income of £12.1 billion in tuition-fee during the year 2023-2024. For institutions, the changing immigration rules creates a quiet dilemma: depending on international enrolment while alienating the very students who keep that system alive. Some universities issue statements or host briefings to inform of the ongoing changes, but students say the messages come too late or don’t reach far enough.
“Universities should be our voice,” insists Ali. An accounting & Finance student, Ria* insists on the same, “We pay so much and contribute to campus life, but when policies change overnight, no one asks us how it affects us.”
Even Mr. Liaquat asks, “Who will want to come to the UK after these new changes?”. “Universities in the UK are privatised. They’re run as businesses,” he says. “And what does a business care about? Money. That’s the reality. Education must become education again.”
Mr. Liaquat continues to say “The whole purpose of the Graduate Route was to give students a real chance to find a highly skilled job. Reducing it to 18 months cuts that chance significantly. And the irony? Many students don’t even know they’re meant to be looking for highly skilled roles. He believes more streamlined routes would help students understand what students can do, what they are meant to do and giving real possibility of being able to find work.
Beyond just confusion and uncertainty, Mr. Liaquat says the economic context makes these expectations unrealistic. “We’re asking employers to pay up to £42,000 for graduates when the economy is on the verge of crashing. Inflation is high. Cost of food, petrol, everything is going up. Employers are scared of regulatory checks and compliance requirements. So you’re not just raising the bar for students - you’re scaring off the very employers who might sponsor them.”
The result? A growing sense of futility.
“You need enough experience to meet the new salary thresholds. Many companies find sponsorship intimidating - it’s not something they want to handle”, says an Architecture graduate Anushka*, who is searching for jobs. “Merit should matter most, but once they’ve met their criteria, the first question is, ‘Do you need sponsorship?’ If yes, it doesn’t matter how good you are - you’re immediately sectioned out.”
A civil engineering student from Myanmar, Veruca* says “It will be not a good investment for some international students. The main reason that they join university in Uk is to find jobs in UK. As we have to pay tuition fee in UK currency, they also want to earn money in this currency.”
“It’s a lose-lose situation for both people and the government” adds Gregory John, an Indian law student who is on a job hunt who will be graduating in 2026. “Students lose their future, and the government loses people who contribute. We pay fees, we pay taxes and contribute to the economy daily.”
For some, the consequences reach beyond economics. Many describe the constant mental strain of finding sponsored jobs, the knowledge of job rejections or a policy change that could undo years of effort. Wuwei*, a Computing science with Psychology, speaks softly about a friend facing cultural and familial pressure to return home. “She thought she’d finally found a way out”, she says. “Now she’s very stressed, annoyed and scared she’ll have to go back. It’s not just about work; it’s about safety, about independence.”
“I hoped to stay in the UK after graduating. I wanted to live somewhere that supports mental health and has a forward-thinking society,” Wuwei* says about her own self. “But after the policy changes, I don’t think I’ll stay. It’s heartbreaking.”
As an international law student myself, I see this uncertainty firsthand. Friends who once spoke about settling down now talk about contingency plans - second degrees, new destinations, backup visas. Across social media, threads titled “Is the UK still worth it?” are filled with advice and regret. “I tell people not to come”, comments someone on the chat thread. “It’s too expensive, too uncertain.” Others echo that feeling.
Many of us are not waiting for the policy changes to happen; we’re already feeling its shadow.
“More graduates are trying to find different methods to stay because the frustrations are growing”, says Ms. Bhende. “They’re applying for whatever application will buy them time; anything that keeps them here legally while they figure out their next move.”
“The latest policy changes are really bad news”, according to Chen Xiaojie who is a law student from China. “Everyone I know is changing direction”, he said. “It causes a lot of uncertainty for people wanting to stay in the UK. Singapore and Australia have had stable policies for years; they feel more promising.”
International students aren’t frustrated about wanting special treatment, it is about providing a fair chance. “After studying here, we understand the culture, the workplace, the people,” Chen said. “We’ve already invested so much, but still can’t find a job. Policy should still consider high-skilled international students who can create real value for the UK.”
“We came here to learn, to grow, to contribute,” says Ria*. “No one wants to feel unwanted after coming all this way.”
The proposed Immigration White Paper aims to create an immigration system which promotes growth but is controlled and managed. In practice, it fails at taking into account the perspectives of International students who these policies impacts.
The question now is whether Britain still sees students like Ria*, Chen, and Wuwei* as part of its story, or just a passing chapter.
Some names have been changed and marked with an asterisk (*) to protect individuals who requested anonymity.
~ Nikhitha Guddeti
This article previously appeared in The National newspaper: https://www.thenational.scot/politics/25696164.studying-surviving-international-student/
