A couple of years ago, the Home Office cancelled the Post Study Work Visa scheme which allowed overseas students to work in the UK on the conclusion of their degree studies.
Originally, the Scottish Executive introduced the visa scheme called Fresh Talent for Scotland which allowed the Scottish universities to compete against the universities located in England by granting overseas students who studied in Scotland a period of 2 years to live and work in Scotland at the end of their university course.
As you can appreciate, this went down like a lead balloon with the English universities and in due course the Graduate Scheme was introduced and eventually both visa schemes turned into Tier 1 Post Study Work Visa.
The Tier 1 Post Study Work Visa was an excellent route for overseas students to gain valuable work experience and was of significant use to employers who benefited from having the opportunity to employ graduates usually in areas where there are skilled shortages.
The Scottish executive have commissioned an inquiry in the Tier 1 Post Study Work Visa – which commenced with two sessions today at University of Aberdeen – and we would welcome your input.
Below is a link to the survey and a brief summary of the areas they would like you to consider when responding.
At a time of real skill shortages and an ageing workforce in certain sectors in Scotland, it is imperative that we maximise all opportunities to readdress the balance.
If you would like to discuss the survey further or would like assistance with drafting your response, do not hesitate to contact us info@davidsonmorris.com
The Committee has invited evidence on the following issues:
1.What impact has the closure of the Tier 1 (Post-Study Work) Visa had on:
(a) Further and Higher Education Institutions in Scotland?
(b) Economic growth in Scotland?
(c) The ability of Scottish employers to find skilled staff?
(d) Raising the skill levels of Scotland’s own young people and attracting skilled workers from the rest of the United Kingdom?
2.How effective are current Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) and 2 (General) visas for enabling international students to remain in Scotland, after completing their studies, to contribute to the Scottish economy?
(a) What are the limitations of current arrangements?
3.To what extent is the competitiveness of Scottish universities driven by factors such as the availability of post study work schemes, as compared to the quality of education?
4.What progress has been made on discussions between the UK and Scottish governments to explore the possibility of introducing formal post study work schemes for international students in Scotland?
5.How should any post study work scheme for international students in Scotland be structured?
Author
Founder and Managing Director Anne Morris is a fully qualified solicitor and trusted adviser to large corporates through to SMEs, providing strategic immigration and global mobility advice to support employers with UK operations to meet their workforce needs through corporate immigration.
She is a recognised by Legal 500 and Chambers as a legal expert and delivers Board-level advice on business migration and compliance risk management as well as overseeing the firm’s development of new client propositions and delivery of cost and time efficient processing of applications.
Anne is an active public speaker, immigration commentator, and immigration policy contributor and regularly hosts training sessions for employers and HR professionals