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(CNN) - International students from the United Kingdom will be offered a two-year visa to remain in the country after graduation, whether or not they have a job, the Interior Ministry announced Wednesday, reversing one of the main aspects of the “hostile environment” strategy of former Minister Theresa May.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the changes, which will take effect next year, mean that foreign students will not be forced to leave four months after finishing a degree, which will make it easier for them to begin their careers in the United Kingdom.
"Britain has a proud history of being at the center of international collaboration and discovery," Johnson said in a statement, adding that the country's scientific advances "would not be possible without being open to the brightest and best of all. the world to study and work in the United Kingdom. ”
- READ: Why are international students stopping to go to the UK?
"That is why we are presenting a new route for international students to unlock their potential and begin their careers in the United Kingdom," he said.
The new policy applies to international students at the undergraduate or higher level, and to reliable institutions with a history of immigration control, the Interior Ministry said in the statement.
There will be no limit on the number of students eligible for the visa, nor will there be restrictions on the types of jobs they can look for.
- READ: Immigrants who do not speak English after two years in the United Kingdom must leave the country
'A silly policy'
The changes mark the return to a policy that was previously ruled out by the coalition government in 2012 when immigration was considered the most critical issue among the British electorate.
The then Minister of the Interior Theresa May described the two-year visas after the study as "too generous" and "symbol of a broken and abused immigration system."
Apparently, in the United Kingdom a more optimistic attitude towards immigration emerged since the 2016 referendum vote to leave the European Union, which was partly driven by migration concerns.
Wednesday's announcement was well received among lawmakers and business groups who have argued that international graduates added value to the British economy.
U.K. Chancellor Sajid Javid celebrated the news on Wednesday and said "dumb politics" should have been reversed "years ago."
"The United Kingdom should always be open to the best talent from around the world," he wrote on Twitter.
Conservative MP Jo Johnson, brother of the prime minister who resigned as minister of universities citing the "irresolvable tension" between "family loyalty and national interest," praised the move.
“Brilliant movement of Prime Minister @borisjohnson. Serious leadership on this issue, ”he tweeted.
"The British Chambers have long called for a two-year work visa to be restored after the study, so this decision is welcome, if it is not late," said Mike Spicer, director of British Chamber of Commerce Policy it's a statement.
"This visa allows British universities and companies to benefit from the talent and energy of some of the students who work so hard to train."
However, the Migration Watch UK lobby described the changes as "reckless" and a "retrograde" step that "would likely lead foreign graduates to stay on the shelves, as happened before," according to the news agency of the Press Association of the United Kingdom.
Brexit
