THE UK government recently announced that it will allow international students to stay on for two years after graduation to work. There will be no limit imposed regarding industry or minimum salary.

This a radical shift from the previous policy, where international students faced many restrictions to obtain a work visa, known as the Tier 2 visa.

I have worked as a lawyer in the UK for the last three years. When I was applying for jobs during my second year of university, the Tier 2 visa was always a huge obstacle in companies deciding whether to hire international students.

Aspiring international employees needed to find an employer with the status of Tier 2 visa sponsor (usually international firms that are large enough to justify hiring from outside the local workforce). The application also required a minimum salary of £30,000 a year (unless an exemption is applied for).

There were quotas on how many visas would be given out in a certain period, and priority was given to applications with higher salaries. Hence, even if you met all the legal requirements, you could be waiting many months to receive the visa. Because of costs and administrative hassle, small companies were either unable or reluctant to hire international students.

This change in policy should be seen as a welcome decision for both international students and their home countries. For the students, it is an amazing opportunity to explore industries that may not be directly related to the degree that had studied for.

This was rarely possible under the previous restrictions – most students ended up in the professional services industries (finance, law, consulting, accounting) because they were the only companies that could realistically sponsor a visa and meet the minimum salary requirement.

It was near impossible to pursue alternative careers in less-lucrative areas, such as research, the performing arts, journalism and music. It was also very difficult to obtain jobs at smaller companies, start-ups or non-profit organisations. Even engineering firms were sometimes unable to meet the minimum salary requirement.

This significantly limited students’ possibilities for exploration and exposure. Working in a large corporation might not be what they were interested in. But, most were forced to choose exactly that if they wanted to stay on to live and work abroad for a little longer after university. It risked stifling their curiosity, innovation and creativity at the very start of their careers.

The new policy will allow international students to pursue jobs that they are truly interested in. They can also switch careers easily, without the added worry of whether a prospective employer is able to be a visa sponsor. It may also encourage students to choose to study for degrees different from the mainstream vocational ones of law, medicine, accounting, finance, economics and engineering.

Furthermore, the new policy is beneficial to the students’ home countries as well. The UK is a diverse place in terms of ethnicity, social class and religion. Working and living abroad will allow international students to gain exposure to different cultures and perspectives.

They will also be able to benefit from work experience in industries that the UK has historically excelled in. For example, the performing arts and film industry in the UK is far more sophisticated than in many other countries. This will produce a diverse and well-rounded talent pool that can better contribute to the different areas of nation-building in other countries.

As a law graduate in 2015, I wanted to stay on in the UK for the experience of living and working abroad. The higher salary, work culture and travel opportunities really appealed to me. I also enjoyed meeting people from all over the world.

Even though I was (and still am) interested in journalism, literature and policy research, the types of jobs that were realistically open to a law graduate like myself were law and management consulting. My peers who studied economics or finance-related subjects mostly ended up in the finance or accounting sector.

The UK has been a great place to work in for the last three years, and I am glad for the friends I have made, the travel experience I have had, and the values that I have been exposed to. But, it was never my goal to stay for the long term.

I am leaving my legal career and returning home to Malaysia this year. I miss my loved ones and want to explore other opportunities that better suit my interests. Many of my peers have expressed the same desire to return to their home countries.

In my opinion, worries that the new policy will exacerbate the brain drain problem in other countries are unfounded. We should embrace the policy as it will allow international students the freedom and flexibility to pursue their career of interest in the two years after graduation. When the time is right, they will come home, better equipped to contribute to their countries. – September 17, 2019.

* Claire Lim Yu Li reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.