LABOUR’S “hostile” immigration policies will hammer Scottish universities already facing painful cuts, an MP has warned.
A House of Commons Library briefing shared with the Sunday National showed that policies such as banning students from bringing over family members will put off people from abroad from studying in the UK.
It comes after Dundee University, which relies on income from foreign students, announced it was cutting 300 jobs as it attempts to tackle a financial crisis which will also rely on it seeking increased public funding.
The Sunday National understands that Dundee recruits overseas students from countries like Nigeria, where the ability to bring over family members is highly attractive.
For students from places like the US, this has less of an impact.
The Tories changed immigration rules in 2024 by shutting off routes to the UK for the dependents of international students unless they are studying for a PhD. It was part of a wider crackdown on immigration which also made it harder for health and social care workers to bring over family.
Labour have maintained the rules, despite calls for a reprieve in light of the impact they are having on universities.
Research from the House of Commons library showed that the Migration Advisory Committee had advised the UK Government early last year that clamping down on students bringing their families to live with them would “mechanically reduce the number of graduate visas”.
It also highlighted that the most recent data, published in February 2025, showed that student visa applications had dropped by 13% last year while there was an 84% fall in applications from the dependents of students.
SNP MP Stephen Gethins, a former St Andrews University academic, said Labour’s tough stance on immigration meant Scottish universities were paying the price.
He said: “Higher education in Scotland has been impacted disastrously by the decisions that are taken at Westminster, decisions that have led to the hostile environment, Brexit and other areas which act as a counterweight to the internationalisation agenda that has been pursued by our universities in recent years that has put them in positions of excellence in terms of research and in terms of teaching.
“What we know from Dundee and the acting principal has highlighted, for example, the detrimental impact that this is having on jobs, and in some of our institutions in Scotland.
“In Dundee, for example, the drop in postgraduate students coming along has had a very significant impact on the institution and a significant on their income. That’s something that should concern us all.”
Scotland’s status as a home of “world-leading” universities was at risk, unless the UK Government changed course, Gethins (above) warned.
He said: “Having institutions that are internationally competitive is why our higher education sector, our universities are world-leading. There’s no other word for it, they are world-leading.
“And if we want to remain world-leading, we must tackle, we must challenge Westminster on some of its damaging policies that are having a material impact right now on some of these institutions.”
A Dundee University spokesperson said: "The changes to visa regulations have undoubtedly impacted on international student recruitment across the higher education sector in the UK.
"The downturn in international recruitment has been one of the significant factors in the financial challenges facing the university. We are working intensively with partners around the world to bring students to Dundee.”
Scottish Higher Education Minister Graeme Dey said: "International students are welcome in Scotland and they make an important contribution to our campuses and local communities.
“We recognise the issues raised by the sector around a decline in international student numbers and damaging UK migration policies which is why we have proposed a Scottish Graduate Visa. This would act as a bridge between the existing Graduate Visa and a Skilled Workers Visa, allowing us to attract international students and retain international graduates from Scottish institutions.”
The UK Government was approached for comment.
