The Government is drawing up plans to crack down on immigration to the UK, with plans to stop family members from joining international master's students at British universities. This forms part of an attempt to reduce net migration to the UK after the country saw a record high in the most recent numbers. The latest figures, published in November, show that net migration rose to 504,000 in the year to June 2022.
The numbers are an increase from pre-Brexit immigration levels, with most of the migrants coming from non-EU countries.
Net migration for the year ending June 2015 - the year before the UK voted to leave the EU - was 336,000.
At the time, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she is "absolutely determined" to fix the problem, admitting that the Government has "failed" to control borders.
Students have been a key factor in the post-Covid surge in migration, with almost 500,000 study visas granted by the UK authorities in 2022.
