Bringing family members to the UK will be more difficult for international students in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. This was announced by the UK Home Office via X (formerly Twitter) on 1 January 2024, as a stricter study visa policy came into effect on this date.
New regulations should limit migration flow
As a result of the tightened rules, many international students will no longer be able to bring family members, including parents, partners and/or children, to the UK during their time of study. The UK hopes to reduce the flow of migration this way. Around 140,000 fewer migrants are expected to travel to the UK as a result of the tightened regulations. According to UK Home Secretary James Cleverly, the measures are part of a wider plan to curb the number of migrants in the UK, tighten controls on the country's borders and prevent, as much as possible, the misuse of study visas by migrants to obtain work in the UK.
Exceptions to the rule
This change in regulations means that the majority of international students can no longer have family members accompanying them during their time of study in the UK. The new rule does not apply to PhD students, students doing research masters and students on government-funded scholarships. The rule only applies to new students and not to international students who were in the UK at the time of the change.
Study visa not required with an ETA UK?
The new rules apply to all international students, regardless of their country of origin. However, not all students need to apply for a study visa. For example, European students and students from the United States are allowed to study in the UK with an ETA for a period of up to six months. Naturally, they do need to satisfy all requirements for the UK ETA. Students who wish to study in the UK for more than 6 months and who are not English, Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish or Irish nationals should always apply for a study visa. This is done through the UK embassy in the home country.
Directly apply for an ETA for the United Kingdom
Tighter regulations on study and work visas
International students who start a study, training or course in the UK on or after 1 January 2024 and need a study visa to do so can no longer bring parents, partners, children or other family members. This is not the only change which has been implemented, as the UK authorities have planned further tightening of the rules. These new rules are designed to prevent misuse of the study visa programme, i.e. people using the study visa to work in the UK instead of studying. For example, PhD students must now have studied in the UK for at least two years before they are allowed to work in the country. Other students must have completed their studies and also provide a starting date for their job before their study visa can be converted into a work visa.
From spring 2025, people on work visas will also face greater difficulties in bringing relatives over to the UK. The reason is that the minimum annual income required for visiting foreign relatives or foreign partners will be increased. Currently, the minimum annual income requirement is 18,600 pounds. In spring 2025, this will be raised to a minimum of 38,700 pounds a year.
Increasing migration to the United Kingdom
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have experienced an increase in migration in recent years. Net migration, i.e. the difference between the number of people entering and leaving the UK, was around 270,000 before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. In 2022, net migration reached a record 745,000 migrants. With tighter regulations on study visas, the UK hopes to reduce the number of migrants in the coming years.