UK Allows Gazan PhD, Master's Students to Bring Families
In a shift in policy, the UK government has announced that it will now allow dependent family members of Gazan PhD and master's students on fully funded scholarships to join them in the UK. This change follows concerns raised by students who did not want to leave their children behind while studying.
Initially, the government's plans did not include dependants, focusing solely on the students themselves. However, the Home Office has implemented systems to issue expedited visas, with biometric tests conducted before arrival to ensure students can begin their studies by the end of December at the latest.
The policy will be applied on a case-by-case basis due to factors outside the government's control. While the original plan covered around 40 students, at least 75 have now arrived in the UK, with over 100 parliamentarians backing the call to evacuate all UK scholarship students from Gaza without exception. Six students due to start at the University of Glasgow this year may arrive too late, but the university will honour their places for future enrolments.
Dependants must meet immigration rule requirements, including having veritable funding to cover living costs, up to £6,120 for those studying outside London, or £7,605 for those studying in London. The current scheme is in place until the end of the year, with the government reviewing the scope and delivery of support given the potential for alternative exit routes from Gaza.
The UK department for education's policy reversal allows eligible Gazan PhD and master's students to bring their partners and children with them to the UK, addressing students' concerns about leaving their families behind. The government continues to monitor the situation and will keep the support scheme under review.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
