One university said it was “incredibly important” to allow foreign students to bring relatives with them.
Due to the new immigration restrictions, foreign postgraduates who are not doing research courses can no longer bring family members to the UK.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the move will help curb migration.
But dr Rachel Morgan-Guthrie of the University of Wolverhampton said students who had a support network had “higher chances of success”.
The associate dean for students and education added: “I think it’s incredibly important that we offer opportunities to these people as well.”
“When students study, they need their relatives close by.”
Rotimi Lawal, a Nigerian student paying £15,000 for a master’s degree in engineering at the university’s Telford campus, said: “The degree offers an opportunity to probably work in the UK as well.”
“It’s a lot easier to probably have a better life.”
Last year, 135,788 visas were issued to family members of foreign students, almost nine times the number in 2019.
At the same time, 680,000 foreign students were studying in the UK, 315,000 of them pursuing a master’s degree.
Under the new government restrictions, they would be banned from bringing their loved ones.
The Prime Minister told Cabinet the change, which is due to start in January 2024, would make a “significant difference in the numbers”, according to No.10.
However, it is unclear what effect this will have on the official migration rate, as students and family members coming to the UK for less than a year are not taken into account.
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