In his New Year's address to the nation on Monday, January 1, United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced plans to ban migrants from relocating to the UK.
“In 2024, we are already delivering for the British people,” Sunak explained that the radical decision was informed by his pledge to the country's natives.
The message was supported by the Home Office, which is the UK government department for immigration and passports. In a statement, the Home Office noted that the policy was geared towards overseeing a decisive cut in migration.
“Post-graduate research or government-funded scholarships students will be exempt,” the Home Office noted.
Among those set to be affected are Kenyans and other nationals, as foreign university students will be banned from bringing family members to the United Kingdom.
Sunak’s decision was hence met with uproar by a majority of UK citizens who remarked that the PM was overseeing the demise of the nation’s university education, which had been revered the world over.
“This policy will significantly damage the funding of UK universities as international students will go elsewhere. That means that a generation of Britons will pay more to go to college and university, making it a preserve of the rich,” one UK citizen complained to the Prime Minister.
Another citizen faulted Sunak’s statement by wondering how making life more difficult and unpleasant for foreign students would improve that of Britons.
Labour Party, an opposition wing in the UK, remarked that Sunak’s decision, supported by the ruling party, the Conservative Party, would see foreign students seek university admission in the United States and other European countries.
“The UK, seemingly closed for business and foreign students, is on a slow decline and losing its relevance,” a member of the Labour Party stated.
This was further supported by Don McGowan, a British citizen from Scotland who bemoaned that the UK was losing its global position due to the policy.
“We lose countless millions in GDP, push foreign students to other countries and, while we're at it, decimate the university sector. A sector that Britain has been world-leading in for hundreds of years,” McGowan complained.
According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), 679,970 international students were pursuing higher education in the 2021/2022 academic year.
The majority of the students relocate with their families, making the UK home to 11 million migrants, according to the Immigration Advice Service.
Additionally, the International Migrant Stock (IMS) reckons there are over 150,000 Kenyans living in the United Kingdom.
