Mayor of London seeks to boost number of Indian students studying in London

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has called on the UK government to introduce a Commonwealth visa programme to reverse a decline of Indian students attending London universities.

Johnson, who has no power over immigration policy in his role as London Mayor, suggested that the introduction of a Commonwealth visa alongside a two-year work visa for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) graduates, would help reverse a decline which has seen the number of Indian students studying in London halved from 39,000 in 2011 to 19,000 in 2014.

The Commonwealth work visa, which would first be rolled out to Indian students, would enable them to stay and work in the UK for two years after graduating. Johnson stated: “Current restrictions on overseas students are putting off the brightest Indian minds from coming to study in the capital. It is crazy that we should be losing India’s top talent and global leaders of the future to countries like Australia and the United States.”

Around 100,000 international students choose to study in London every year, more than any other world capital. If you are interested in applying to study in the UK, arrange a free consultation today.

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