By Peter Omopo
The United Kingdom has reduced the duration of its Graduate Route visa from two years to 18 months, as part of a sweeping set of immigration reforms aimed at curbing abuse and restoring control over the country’s borders.
The decision, announced on Monday in a new Immigration White Paper, marks a significant tightening of post-study work options for international graduates. It comes alongside broader changes targeting the asylum process, visa fraud, and family migration policies.
“The Graduate Route has not met its original objectives. It has become a loophole for unsponsored work and a magnet for abuse,” the UK Home Office said in a statement posted on its website.
The revised policy limits international graduates’ stay to 18 months, reduces their ability to bring dependants, and introduces a more restrictive pathway to skilled work visas. Only universities that meet tougher compliance benchmarks will be permitted to continue international student recruitment. Institutions with low graduate employment rates or those involved in deceptive recruitment practices could face sanctions.
“We will take action against sponsors who undermine the integrity of the system,” the Home Office stated.
The reforms also include a legal reset of asylum and deportation rules. Under the new guidelines, asylum seekers who delay their applications or come from countries deemed safe may face automatic rejection.
“We will prevent late, opportunistic asylum claims and re-establish control over our border,” the paper added.
The government says the measures are necessary to tackle what it describes as “systemic abuse and mission drift” across various parts of the immigration system.
