Starting in January 2025, international students hoping to study in the United Kingdom (UK) must meet higher income requirements.
The UK Home Office included the change in the most recent update to the Immigration Rules on 10 September 2024.
The aim is to ensure international students can support themselves during their studies in the UK without relying on public funds.
This is the first significant increase in financial requirements for international students since 2020.
It is part of a broader effort to tighten immigration rules and crack down on rogue recruiters.
New income requirement for international students
The new rules require international students to show they have enough money to cover their living costs while studying in the UK.
The amount of money required depends on where the student resides in the UK.
The new income requirement for students living in London will be £1,483 per month for up to nine months.
This adds up to £13,347 for a whole academic year.
For students outside of London, the new income requirement will be £1,136 per month.
This totals to £10,224 for the same nine-month period.
The new requirements represent a significant increase, about 11 percent from the previous ones.
Before, the income requirement was £1,334 per month for students in London and £1,023 per month for those studying outside the capital.
The higher income requirements will apply to students coming to the UK on or after 2 January 2025
International students may meet a reduced income requirement if they have already paid a deposit for accommodation in the UK.
Those who have been in the UK on another visa route for at least 12 months do not need to show proof of maintenance funds.
Income requirement to match rising cost of living
The Home Office stated that the new income requirements align with the maintenance loans available to UK students for the 2024-2025 academic year.
These new thresholds also take into account the increasing cost of living in the UK due to inflation.
The increase ensures that overseas students can cope with the financial demands of UK living,
The financial requirements for international students have stayed the same since 2020 amidst the rising cost of living due to inflation.
Rent, food, and other expenses have all become more expensive, making it harder for students to get by on the old rates.
By raising the financial requirements, the government hopes to prevent students from encountering financial problems in the UK.
Aligning the rules with those for UK students also ensures that everyone is treated fairly.
International students bring diversity to the classroom and contribute financially by paying tuition and living expenses.
However, the government wants to ensure that students coming to the UK are financially independent and do not rely on public funds for support.
Tightening visa rules to manage migration
The higher income requirement is part of the UK Government’s effort to manage immigration.
Along with raising the financial requirements, the UK Government is tightening regulations on international students.
New regulations include stricter recruitment practices and limits on remote learning.
Recruitment agencies can lose their license if the international students they recruit fail UK visa checks to enroll or finish their course.
Rules limiting remote learning will also ensure that most international students primarily take in-person classes.
The UK Government also plans to review English language assessments to ensure all students can understand their coursework.
These changes prevent people from misusing the student visa system and from unethical recruitment practices.
Past policy changes on international students
The tightening of rules for international students and recruiters is part of a series of adjustments the UK has made to its student visa system.
In 2021, the British Government introduced the Graduate Visa.
This allows international students to stay in the UK for two years (or three years for PhD students).
It was designed to make the UK more appealing to international talent and give students time to find work after completing their course.
However, there are concerns that the Graduate Visa program does not attract high-earners who boost the UK economy.
In 2023, the UK Government decided to limit the number of dependants international students can bring with them.
Beginning January 2024, only postgraduate students and those enrolled in government-subsidized courses can bring families to the UK.
This has raised concerns about how it might affect international student recruitment for UK universities.
International students have also been prohibited from switching to a work visa until they have finished their course.
Following these changes, there has been a drop in student visa main and dependent applications, as per the latest visa application statistics.
From January to August 2024, there were 278,700 international Student visa applications, down 17 percent from the same period last year.
The number of Student visa dependants has plunged 83 percent from last year, with only 15,500 dependant applications received this year.
The full impact of these Student visa policies will become more evident in the fall before the academic year starts.
It remains to be seen whether the higher income requirement will affect the number of international students coming to the UK next year.