“Looking at the growth in numbers, a blanket ban might be the outcome,” cautioned Sir Steve Smith, the government’s international education champion.
Smith explained that officials were examining the “concerning” rise in international students enrolled in Master of research (MRes) courses, which allow students to come to the UK with relatives.
Currently, postgraduate research courses are exempt from rules introduced in 2024 that prevent international students from bringing family members with them to the UK, introduced as part of a broader government effort to limit immigration.
According to Financial Times analysis, the number of international students on MRes courses outside of Russel Group universities increased by five times between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic years.
Such rapid enrollment growth has brought about concerns that institutions are taking advantage of existing visa regulations to boost international student enrollment as they experience domestic funding cuts.
Political pressure may also be affecting the scrutiny, as ministers set out tougher policies in an attempt to ward off anti-immigration Reform UK.
The government’s new strategy for international education, published in January, ditched having a target for the number of international students, shifting towards a focus on access to British degrees abroad.
Smith, who was involved in crafting the new strategy, said that the decision to abandon a target was “a long debate”, and expressed that the decision not to impose a limit was “a victory” for the higher education sector.
Malcolm Press, president of the lobby group Universities UK, urged the government to “use the powers it already has to intervene in a targeted and proportionate way, rather than making ruther changes to the immigration rules”.