A UK government-backed scholarship awardee has called for the country’s new home secretary to be more welcoming to international students and widen Graduate Route opportunities for students from modest backgrounds.
Speaking to members of the House of Lords at an event in Westminster ahead of international students’ day, University of Hull student and UKCISA ambassador Loan Thu Nguyen said that studying in the UK had always been a dream since she was little, but that it “seemed almost impossible for me with a modest background”.
However, government policy to increase the fees of the NHS surcharge and the visa application fee for the Graduate Route visa has meant that the aspiring English language teacher’s time in the UK will be shorter than originally anticipated.
James Cleverly took over the role of home secretary after Suella Braverman was asked to resign by prime minister Rishi Sunak on November 13. Increases in bureaucracy costs were announced during Braverman’s tenure earlier this year.
