All Student Vote (Autumn 2019)

Campaign to ensure that Post Study Work Visas are available equally to new and existing students

This motion asks your SU to lobby for international students to receive a post study work VISA and to liaise with the University to explore the best way to protect the aforementioned rights of international students and to push for the existing petition to go to parliament. 

This Union Notes

1. The government is putting forward a new visa scheme named “Post Study Work visa” (PSW VISA) or Graduate Route;
2. This policy would allow new intake of international students from the 2020-2021 to have two years non-extendable leave after their studies; (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-announces-2-year-post-study-work-visa-for-international-students--2)
3. However, this policy does not apply to international students who are already started their studies in the U.K.;
4. There are 201,919 international students who applied for Tier 4 Visa to student in the U.K. in the Year 2019, the highest on the record; (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2019/summary-of-latest-statistics)
5. There are 10,453 international (Non-EU) students who entered to study at in 2018, a high of the body; (https://warwick.ac.uk/about/profile/international/)
6. The International Students’ Officer has received overwhelming demands from international students here at Warwick for the support to ask for the right of PSW VISA for current international students;

This Union Believes:

1. International students should not be put at a disadvantaged stage when seeking employment post-study purely on the basis that they are international;
2. The uncertainty of no PSW VISA put international students at disadvantage. 
3. As our Student Union, we need to work hard to ensure the prosperity, opportunity and equality for our international Non-EU students who may have overcome the most difficult challenges to integrate into local community to study in a new language and new culture.
4. It is unfair to promise PSW VISA to future students meanwhile to refuse grant PSW VISA to current studies;
5. If we push forward this campaign, we can make sure that the skills learnt at universities and talents fostered during the study can be put back into the local community;
6. The introduction of PSW VISA to current international students is only fair and just.  

This Union Resolves:

1. To mandate the Education Officer to campaign and lobby for this change, to push for a campaign for the rights of international students who are currently studying in the U.K. to receive PSW VISA;
2. To mandate the President of SU, Education Officer, Welfare and Campaign Officer, Ethic Minorities Officer to liaise with university to explore and enact the best way to forward to protect the aforementioned rights of International students;
3. To mandate the International Students Officer (Non-EU) to push for the already existed campaign for the petition to the Parliament (https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/273801)