Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that PhD students from the EU wish to study in the UK after the increase in student visa costs from January 2021.

The UK will continue to be a welcoming and world-class destination for all students, including international and European PhD candidates who will be treated equally under the new system. The UK has an internationally recognised higher education system attracting high quality students, a strong research base, excellent research across disciplines, entrepreneurs, practitioners and a high level of international collaboration and investment.

From the start of 2021/2022 academic year, all international students, including those from the EU, EEA and Switzerland, will be able to apply for UK Research and Innovation funded studentships. This will allow international students access to the same level of financial support as a home student in the same programme.

The new Graduate Route allows international students who complete a PhD in the UK from summer 2021 to stay in the UK for three years after study to live and work. The Graduate Route also enables students who have successfully completed undergraduate and master's degrees to stay for 2 years after study. This will make it easier for some of the best, international graduates to secure skilled jobs in the UK. We will continue to make this route simpler and faster.