Rishi Sunak appears to bow to cabinet pressure over graduate visa scheme
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has bowed to pressure from some of his senior cabinet colleagues over proposed changes to the graduate visa scheme.
Reports had suggested he planned on either shortening or scrapping the two-year period students could stay in the country after completing their studies, as he faced increasing pressure from the right of his party to lower record-high legal migration.
However, Sky News understands the period will remain in place after appeals from Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan and Home Secretary James Cleverly, who are all said to have raised concerns on the impact on universities and the economy if the rules were changed.
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There will be some additional measures announced by the government this week to coincide with the latest net migration figures being published, Sky News also understands.
They will include the tightening of restrictions on agents that market British degree courses overseas and subjecting some international students to mandatory English tests.
But Mr Sunak is still likely to face a backlash from former home secretary Suella Braverman, who today called for the whole graduate visa route to be scrapped, and ex-immigration minister Robert Jenrick, who has called it “a backdoor for foreign students to do low-wage work”.
A government source told Sky News the decision was “a sign of good government”, showing each secretary of state had reviewed the impact of policy plans and communicated them to the leader.
The home secretary ordered an emergency review of the graduate visa route in March to look at whether it was being abused and “driven more by a desire for immigration”.
However, in its report released last week, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) said it should remain in place as it was key to funding British universities and was “not undermining the quality and integrity” of higher education.
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The government has announced a raft of new measures to try to curb legal migration since November, when the Office for National Statistics revealed net migration had hit 745,000 in 2022, including stopping students from bringing their dependents and increasing the salary someone has to earn to qualify for a visa.
The UK has re-established diplomatic ties with Syria, David Lammy has said, as he made the first visit to the country by a British minister for 14 years.
The foreign secretary visited Damascus and met with interim president Ahmed al Sharaa, also the leader of the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and foreign minister Asaad al Shaibani.
It marks the latest diplomatic move since Bashar al Assad’s regime was toppled by rebel groups led by HTS in December.
In a statement, Mr Lammy said a “stable Syria is in the UK’s interests” and added: “I’ve seen first-hand the remarkable progress Syrians have made in rebuilding their lives and their country.
“After over a decade of conflict, there is renewed hope for the Syrian people.
“The UK is re-establishing diplomatic relations because it is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians.”
Foreign Secretary David Lammy with Syria’s interim president Ahmed al Sharaa in Damascus. Pic: X / @DavidLammy
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has also announced a £94.5m support package for urgent humanitarian aid and to support the country’s long-term recovery, after a number of British sanctions against the country were lifted in April.
While HTS is still classified as a proscribed terror group, Sir Keir Starmer said last year that it could be removed from the list.
The Syrian president’s office also said on Saturday that the president and Mr Lammy discussed co-operation, as well as the latest developments in the Middle East.
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Since Assad fled Syria in December, a transitional government headed by Mr al Sharaa was announced in March and a number of western countries have restored ties.
In May, US President Donald Trump said the United States would lift long-standing sanctions on Syria and normalise relations during a speech at the US-Saudi investment conference.
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From May: Trump says US will end sanctions for Syria
He said he wanted to give the country “a chance at peace” and added: “There is a new government that will hopefully succeed.
“I say good luck, Syria. Show us something special.”
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