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Indonesians adjust career plans to meet stricter UK visa rules
Indonesians and other foreign nationals are looking with hope to Starmer's Labour government for potential easing of a new set of stringent visa rules designed by the previous Conservative administration that has left them with fewer options in a narrower jobs market.
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Stock image of a United Kingdom visa (Courtesy of/UK government)
S
iti Muthoharoh, an Indonesian employed at a university in Sussex, South East England, recalls coming across an online ad on reinstating the graduate visa, which allows international students to work in the United Kingdom for a limited period after completing their studies.
Feeling emboldened, Siti enrolled in a master’s degree at the university in 2021 and has since “met people from all over the world”.
“The UK, especially in the city of Brighton where I live, is very multicultural. [Living here] has broadened my perspectives and enriched my personal and professional network,” she said.
But Siti’s plans to continue living in the UK are now up in the air after then-Home Secretary James Cleverly announced a set of action plans to “deliver the biggest-ever cut in net migration” in December 2023.
The action plans, which have since entered into force, were described by the Conservative government at that time as a robust move to slash “record levels” of net migration: The UK saw a record number of around 764,000 immigrants in 2022, and hopes to bring it down by 300,000 this year.
Read also: Indonesians in UK worry about safety amid escalating anti-immigrant riots
The Conservative government’s overhaul of UK visa policies includes prohibiting overseas care workers from bringing dependents and increased salary thresholds for the family visa and skilled worker visa. This latter visa provides the most viable route for international students like Siti to remain and work in the UK after their graduate visas expire.
