Student route evaluation (wave 2)

Product Description

The new Student visa route opened to applicants in October 2020, replacing the Tier 4 visa route. Since then, the number of applications to the Student visa has increased significantly. In the year ending June 2024, there were 432,225 sponsored study visas granted to main applicants, 13% fewer than in the year ending June 2023 but 61% higher than 2019.

In May 2024, the Government introduced several policy changes designed to limit the number of student arrivals in the UK. The Home Office is keen to build an evidence base on the Student route to inform future policy and underpin assessments of economic impact. A first wave of research was commissioned and completed by IFF in 2023. This second wave made similar use of online surveys and telephone interviews with Student visa holders and Higher Education Institution (HEI) sponsors. Given the policy changes that have occurred since the first wave of research, the design process for this wave was shaped by a new theory of change model and revised research questions.