SUARTS submission to the All-Parliamentary Group on Migration Inquiry into the closure of the Post Study Work route

Transcription

1 SUARTS submission to the All-Parliamentary Group on Migration Inquiry into the closure of the Post Study Work route Authors: Mostafa Rajaai SUARTS Culture and Diversity Officer Evita Syrengela SUARTS Social Policy Coordinator Aisling Wootten SUARTS Policy and Advocacy Manager

2 Executive Summary This submission provides an overview of the impact that the 2012 closure of the Tier 1 (Post-Study Work) route had on international students at University of Arts London (UAL). It also provides an exploration of the potential long-term consequences for UAL if the government does not reverse its decision and provide international students with the option to work once they have completed their studies. This evidence is submitted by SUARTS, which is the Students Union at University of the Arts London. The evidence was collected from: The responses of UAL students to a national survey on international students employment and entrepreneurship conducted by NUS. An electronic interview with a group of international students from all six of UAL s constituent colleges. Recruitment data from UAL s registry on the number of applications from international students for undergraduate and post-graduate level study between 2010 to This submission finds that the closure of the Tier 1 route had a detrimental impact on the perception of the UK as a noted destination for arts and design education. The majority of arts, design and media students who partook in our research cited the opportunity to acquire work experience in the UK as one of the determining factors in their decision to come and study in the UK. Since the closure of the post study work route UAL students feel there is no longer an option for them to gain UK work experience. This is especially acute given the distinct nature of work in the creative industries which is often not considered as eligible for Tier 2 sponsorship. Based on our findings we propose the following recommendations: 1. Restore the Tier 1 Post-Study Work route 2. Simplify and communicate more effectively the post-study work routes available. 3. Create a new route for the creative industries.

3 1. Background 1.1. SUARTS is a Students Union based in Central London with 20,000 student members from the six constituent colleges of UAL. UAL is Europe s largest provider of education in art, design, fashion, communication and performing arts. SUARTS represents the interests of our student members and provides them with a range of creative, cultural and sporting opportunities. We are committed to ensuring that UAL students have the best experience possible from their time at university The Government s decision to close the Tier 1 (Post-Study Work) route, which allowed international graduates to remain in the UK labour market for two years after graduation, had a significant impact on the 5,000+ international students currently studying at UAL The purpose of this submission is to provide evidence of the impact that these changes in the VISA system had on international students at UAL. Furthermore, it will illustrate that the impact of the closure is especially acute for UAL students as the unique nature of the creative industries means that finding a Tier 2 sponsor is extremely difficult. By ending the Tier 1 visa option the government has eliminated all chances for our students to acquire work experience in the UK. 2. Introduction 2.1. As a driver of economic growth, employment and export earnings the HE sector provides a significant real value and long term contribution to the UK economy. It is also noted globally for its reputation of educational excellence and innovation The creative industries in the UK, where a large majority of UAL graduates are employed, are also a site of significant economic success. The government s own statistics demonstrating that in 2012 the creative industries grew by almost 10%, outperforming all other sectors of the UKs economy Arguably nothing is more central to the continued success and growth of the HE sector than the contributions and attendance of international students. International students enrich the UK s social and cultural life, contributing varied perspectives and experiences to the classroom and to the education of Home students whom study alongside them. The internationalisation of the UKs universities enhances students understanding of the world and its complexities Furthermore international networks of alumni contribute to the UK remaining one of the world s economic and cultural capitals At UAL, the influx of new ideas and perspectives that international students bring is pivotal to maintaining the world-class research culture that informs the University s academic reputation globally. 2 It is only through a steady recruitment of the most creative students from around the world, that UAL will be able to remain sector leader in an increasingly competitive environment International students and their dependents that come to study in the UK also make a huge contribution to the economy. Just in it is estimated that international students spent 10.2 billion in tuition fees and living expenses. 3 1 Press release from the department of Culture, Media and Sport accessed 30/09/2014: 2 University of the Arts London: Strategy p. 9 3 Universities UK & HESA (2013): Patterns and Trends in UK Higher Education. p. 11

4 3. Methodology 3.1. To collect evidence of the ways in which the closure of the Tier 1 Post-Study Work category has impacted international students studying at UAL, SUARTS conducted online interviews with a focus group of 10 international undergraduate students across all six colleges asking the following questions: What is your home country? How is Britain perceived as a higher education destination for international students at your home country? What role do the changes in the VISA system play in shaping Britain s image in your home country? Have the changes in the Tier 1 Visa category on Post-Study work have affected you? If yes, how? As an international student is the UK an appealing study destination? 3.2. Additionally, we collected data on the number of applications from international students (excluding EEA nationals) who applied to study at UAL between 2010 to Finally, our submission is based on the personalised responses of UAL international students to the national survey conducted by NUS and The Entrepreneur Network (TEN) of international students perception of employment and entrepreneurship in the UK. Out of the 1599 valid respondents nationally 157 were UAL students. This number is by far the highest number respondents from any UK university indicating just how important this issue is to International Students at UAL. 4. Findings 4.1. NUS Survey The responses of UAL students to the survey conducted by NUS and The Entrepreneur Network clearly illustrate the reasons why international students chose to study arts and design courses in the UK and how the changes to the visa system will have a direct impact on the decisions of current and future UAL applicants % of UAL respondents indicated that one of the reasons they chose to get a degree in the UK was the opportunity to work in the UK after their studies. Just over half of the respondents (52.20%) chose to study in the UK because of the quality of education. These responses indicate the unique position the UK occupies in being able to offer International Students access to the best arts and design education and the opportunity to learn further skills in our world leading creative industries. The statistics below demonstrate that International Students at UAL are drawn to study in the UK because of the dual nature of this opportunity and to deny students one part of it is putting this unique selling point in jeopardy.

5 Table 1. Reasons UAL students chose to study in the UK Why did you choose to study in the UK? Opportunity to work in the UK after my studies 56.70% The quality of education in the UK 52.20% To gain a different cultural experience 43.30% Improve my job prospects globally 38.20% To build up links with people from around the world 33.80% Improve my job prospects in the UK 28.00% To build up links with people in the UK 22.30% To improve my job prospects back home 17.80% To improve my English 11.50% Other 3.20% Gaining working experience in the UKs creative industries is a fundamental aspect of arts and design education. More with more than 70% of UAL respondents confirmed that it is essential for their professional development. As arts, design and creative subjects are so practice driven most students at UAL consider acquiring work based skills and experience as an extension of their studies and an intrinsic part of their educational experience in the UK. By removing the opportunity for students to acquire these skills and knowledge the government is undermining the type of educational experience that UK arts and design universities are able to offer. Truly I hope students get legal visa after graduate (sic). It s compulsory to broaden their knowledge and apply it in practical way in working place. I believe it should be great opportunity to UK and graduates both. UG student from South Korea. London has the best art scene in the world, which is why I am studying here and would like to remain part of the scene after I graduate. The visa options available to me are not convenient as I have no intention of finding employment (I m self employed) or starting up a business with a start up loan. UG student from USA As illustrated below the majority of UAL students want to work in the UK to gain work experience in industry. Over 74.6% of respondents from UAL identified this as a factor. In contrast only 15% of UAL respondents want to work in the UK to earn money. Table 2. Reasons UAL students want to work on the UK Which of the following best describe your main reasons for wanting to work in the UK following your studies? To gain work experience in my industry 74.60% There are better opportunities in the UK 42.30% To put academic knowledge into practice 33.80% To become integrated into UK life 21.80% To gain general life experience 20.40% To earn money 15.50% To meet people 9.20% To improve my job prospects back home 17.80% To pass the time - Other 2.80%

6 Following on from this only 28.7% of the respondents intend to seek permanent employment after they graduate, whereas the majority (62%) intend to seek employment for up to three years. This non-permanent nature of employment that most creative students seek after their studies exemplifies the lost positive fiscal impact they could have to the UK. If the UK visa system allowed international students to work after their studies international students would provide a net benefit to the economy, as they would pay taxes, but receive little health or pension expenditure Another problematic trend that emerged from UAL students responses is that the 2012 changes in the regulations have not been communicated effectively. Just 37.7 % of the respondents agreed that they are aware and understand all the regulations which prohibit certain types of work in the UK, whereas 41.5 % disagreed. Not only is it difficult to get a visa to work, it is also very difficult to find the information relevant to one's self on the UK Immigration website. I feel as if I am being cheated out of opportunities and jobs that should be available to me, as I have contributed financially to the UK economy for the past two years. I am not permitted to gain any of that back, or to benefit from any of the job prospects that other graduates are able to. I am very resentful of the new laws that are essentially evicting me from the country before I have had any chance to establish myself and build up my portfolio and CV. It will be difficult for me to move and find a job in another country/city without this. UG student from the USA Finally, there has been a notable shift in perceptions of the UK as an attractive destination for higher education since the enforcement of the new VISA regime. The survey shows that while 28% of the respondents have not considered the opportunities other countries provide for international students to work post-study, almost half believe the UK s processes are worse than elsewhere (44.6%). Only 12.7% believed that the UK is better than other countries. Given the competitive nature of the international students recruitment market and the rise of alternative destinations which offer better post-study opportunities, this shift in perceptions should be alarming to the UK government. Even USA offers a post study visa to their international students. It is annoying that this opportunity is not provided to us when we spend at least a 100,000 in our 3 years of education. UG student from India I know other countries offer a post study job search visa and I am highly disappointed that the UK does not at least offer that. PG students from the USA Similarly, there seems to be a connection between negative perceptions of the UK employment market and negative recommendation. Namely, under the new VISA rules, just 24.5% of the international students that took part in the survey would advise a friend to study in the UK, which underlines the importance the ability to work in the country of study has when deciding where to study. It is tantamount to robbery to change the laws for students in the middle of study. Many chose their institutions and courses based on the fact that the industry has good ties in London, and it is easy to make contacts here. I am now graduating with largely unusable contacts in my home country despite the fact that many potential employers have expressed interest in my work here. Unfortunately the creative industry is not able to support tier 2 visas. The UK is missing out on a wealth of talent, and particularly with London seen as a creative capital this is a disgusting way to treat those who have invested a great deal of time and money into their own education and the creative industries in the UK. UG student from the USA. 4 Centre of European Reform (2013): Is immigration a reason for Britain to leave the EU? By John Springford.

7 4.2. Online Focus Group The findings of the survey are mirrored by the themes that emerged from the online interviews that SUARTS conducted with a group of international students from all six of UAL s colleges Firstly, a prevailing theme that emerged was the shift in the perceptions of the students interviewed about Britain as a higher education destination after the closure of Tier 1 (PSW) route. All students acknowledged the good reputation that British universities have abroad. However, under the new regime, prospective international students have started to explore alternative destinations for their education, which appear more welcoming, such as Australia or USA. Based on my knowledge, I believe we regard Britain as a higher education destination for international students in China. However, when British Government closed the PSW in 2012, some of my friends in China do not still think the possibility in finding a job there. They prefer to study in US or Australia. UG student from China My sister has completely avoided UK in her search for university, and is looking at HK and Australia just because of the unwelcoming visa system. UG student from India UAL students are particularly affected by the closure of the Tier 1, due to the unique nature of work in the creative industries. The Creative Graduates Futures report identified a pattern in the early career path of the graduates in art, design, crafts and media subjects. 5 The majority of graduates at the time of the survey were engaged in a mixture of activities or portfolio working, consisting of paid employment and working in the volunteering sector. Under the Tier 2 route these graduates struggle to find sponsorship in the UK due to lack of resource in the creative industries to sponsor international students or the perception that creative roles do not fall into the highly skilled category According to the NUS survey on employment and entrepreneurship, almost 50% of the respondents from UAL seek employment to micro or small scale businesses, which are often reluctant to become Tier 2 sponsors. The online interviews revealed that students of the creative arts consider that since the 2012 changes, there are currently no options available to them to acquire some working experience in the UK. There is pretty much no way for me to find a job in London anymore after i graduate. It is hard enough to find a job already, after the PSW visa cancelled, it is pretty much impossible for us (international students) to find a job anymore. With the PSW cancelled, to actually stay in Britain to work, we have to ask for company to be our sponsor to give us enough evidence to support us to apply for work visa directly. Most of the company would find this really troublesome and unnecessary (because of the government policies think they have to do a lot of paperwork with the government to be one's sponsor). So even if we have a chance to look for a job that still blocks us from actually start working in Britain properly. UG student from China Since many of the VISA categories changed, new graduates don't have many options to remain in UK. Basically we can 1- get married, 2- invest pounds, 3- find a company willing to sponsor us. But to be honest, those solutions are not really useful for most of us, 1- most of us don't have the right person to get married/ it's too early to get married, 2- we don't have funds to invest, if we have PSW VISA. 3- I've tried most of the companies and to be honest, none of them are willing to sponsor us a VISA since what we do is not something British and European can't do. Therefore, British government made it seems like we have options, but those options are unreachable, I feel Britain just want to kick us out as soon as we're finished. Or if you have the money, you're welcome to stay. It doesn't look very friendly and appealing to me or most of my friends. UG student from Taiwan 5 Creative Graduates Creative Futures, by L. Ball, E. Pollard and N. Stanley. p. 122

8 When the participants were asked specifically if they continue to consider the UK an appealing destination to study the answers are illuminating. Students still appear to appreciate the high quality and innovative teaching methods, however stress that the lack of post-study work options available which deny them the opportunity to acquire work based skills and experience. Inspite (sic) of having a great method of teaching and being experimental, the education seems incomplete without relevant work experience in an international environment. UG student from India Since we know that there will be no more options to stay to practice our learned skills and pursue our dreams, I doubt this is a place I would feel welcomed. UG student from Taiwan It was really one of the best to study, but with the changing of visa system, I am sure UK is really losing its credits and make people think it as an irresponsible country, Because that it really unfair and in some kind of way, it can be called discrimination (sic). And I think cancelling the PSW visa is only their first step, by the time, they will be even harsh on visa thing. So I don't really think UK is still as attractive as before. If I have any friends or family members are considering study abroad, I don't think I'll still recommend UK as the first place if there is no any action or improvement about the visa thing. UG student from China The final underlining theme that emerged from our survey data is that overseas graduates from creative, arts and design subjects are primarily interested in acquiring a short-term work experience in the UK rather than permanent employment. Therefore, their exclusion from the UK s job market, only leads to a loss of knowledge and technical expertise from the economy alongside a significant loss of tax revenue Impact on number of applications to UAL The most tangible evidence of how the closure of the Tier 1 route has impacted UAL is the decline in the number of applications the University receives on an annual basis The number of postgraduate applications received from countries outside the EU has dropped. For 2009/2010 before the closure of Tier 1 - UAL had received 3,675 applications, whereas for 2012/13 the number of applications had dropped at 3, Applications for undergraduate study have seen a minor increase. For 2009/10 UAL received 4,215 applications from non-home/eea prospective international students, whereas for 2012/13 that number increased to 6,600. The slow pace of growth, however, is an indication of the negative consequences the closure of the Post-Study Work route had at the attractiveness of UAL at a global scale. The lukewarm increase in applications exemplifies the lost potential for UAL, as the international students recruitment numbers presented, previously, a great opportunity for growth This pattern of declining number of applications from overseas students is particularly clear in India, USA, and Turkey, countries from which previous trends projected an increase of interest. 5. Recommendations 5.1. What follows is a list of 3 key recommendations that have emerged from our findings. SUARTS hopes that these will be taken forward by the APPG Migration in order to reverse the negative impact 6 HM Government (2013): International Education Global Growth and Prosperity. p. 3.

9 the closure of the Tier 1 (Post-Study Work) route had on students of arts, design, craft and media subjects and on their perceptions of the UK as an attractive study destination. Recommendation 1: Restore the Tier 1 Post-Study-Work visa route. SUARTS believes that this is the only way to address the negative and long term impact that closing the Tier 1 route has had on international students studying creative, arts or design degrees. As discussed in this report, acquiring work based skills and experience is considered by many of these students to be an intrinsic aspect of their education and the current visa system (without a post-study work option) prevents them from doing so. Furthermore, not only is this impacting on students educational outcomes but it also risks limiting the UKs competitiveness in attracting international students to study creative, arts and design education in UK universities. Restoring the Tier 1 Post Study Work route would bring the UK back on par with its international competitors, such as Australia, USA, Canada, 7 or emerging EU higher education destinations like Germany, 8 where schemes for post-study work employment are in place for international graduates. Finally, it would restore the global image of Britain as a welcoming country, which attracts the most talented students internationally; and retains this talent for the benefit of the economy and the society. Recommendation 2: Simplify and communicate more effectively the post-study work routes available. The NUS survey on employment and entrepreneurship showed that 40% of the international students feel uncertain and confused about their options for working after they have completed their surveys. SUARTS recommends simplifying the available options and also implementing measures which will unsure the effective communication of the current visa options to students. Recommendation 3: Create a new route for the creative industries. The findings of this report reveal that the distinct nature of work in the creative industries places international graduates of these fields in disadvantage. Part-time work or self-employment/freelance work is the norm in the industry, which means that international students of UAL are practically excluded from acquiring any working experience in the UK as freelance or self-employed work was not permitted under the previous Tier 1 Post Student Work Visa. 71% of UAL students that participated in the NUS survey consider acquiring some working experience in the UK essential for their professional accreditation and they historically have been inhibited by visa restrictions from achieving this. SUARTS recommends creating a new route that would accommodate the unique characteristics of the creative industries. 7 British Council (2011): Impact of Visa Changes on Student Mobility and Outlook for the UK. P Study in Germany: The career ladder calls. Available at: (Accessed at 11/09/2014)