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The UK is an excellent place to study. It is home to a long list of renowned universities, many of which are often ranked among the top universities in the world. Recently the UK government has shown it is committed to attracting more foreign students – and making it simpler for innovative professionals from abroad to call the UK home.
In July 2020, the UK published a Research and Development (R&D) Roadmap, which listed a number of exciting new policies and changes to support international students.
In this article we’ll learn more about:
The UK’s new “Office for Talent” was created to make the immigration process smoother for skilled students
New visa extensions for international students after graduation
What this means post-Brexit
The UK’s new Office for Talent has been set up to make it easier for international scientists, researchers, and innovators to work and live in the UK. The team works from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office at 10 Downing Street. In the UK, the headquarters is often simply referred to as “Number 10.”
According to the government announcement, the Office for Talent began work right away on reviewing the UK’s current immigration rules and will focus on ensuring the immigration system is simple and quick for both students and professionals alike. “They will also help those coming to the UK better understand the opportunities on offer and break down any barriers they might face,” read the statement.
The UK has also announced some exciting new visa changes. PhD students who graduate in Summer 2021 will now be able to stay in the UK for an additional three years. International students who graduate with undergraduate or Master’s degrees can stay in the UK for two years. This news was announced back in 2019.
Before, foreign students could only stay in the country for four months after graduation. This made it difficult for students to find jobs or begin their working lives in the UK.
Now, these new changes give foreign students the freedom to nurture the connections they made while studying, build new relationships, establish themselves, and develop meaningful careers in the UK.
The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system, made to streamline the visa process. According to the roadmap, people interested in studying in the UK will now have more time to make a visa application.
The UK also plans to get rid of study time limits for postgraduates. Previously, most students had to complete their studies in five years. Finally, students will no longer need to leave the UK to switch visas – which will help to reduce lots of stress and worry for foreign learners.
The UK announced it would also invest £300 million in science infrastructure at research institutes and universities. This could prove to be a plus for international scientists and researchers considering whether to study or live in the UK.
Brexit caused a lot of uncertainty for students in the UK from the European Union (EU). If you’re an EU citizen moving to the UK in 2021, you’ll now have to apply for a visa to study for longer than 6 months. If you were studying in the UK before this year, you can apply for the EU Settlement Scheme – which will let you continue living in the UK permanently.
Learn more about the EU settlement scheme.
The UK states the Research and Development Roadmap will “help to power up the economy and level out the UK.” Overall, the changes are set to help support foreign students in the UK – and particularly those in science, research, and innovation fields.
To conclude, here’s a concise look at how student visas have evolved:
In the past, international students could only stay in the UK for four months after graduation
Most students had to complete their degrees in five years
Students had to leave the UK to apply for a new visa
EU citizens did not have to apply for a visa to study in the UK
PhD students who graduate this summer can stay in the UK for three more years. Undergraduate and Master’s students can stay for two more years (announced in 2019)
The UK will get rid of study limits for postgraduate students
Students will not need to leave the UK to switch visas
EU citizens must apply for a visa to study for longer than 6 months.
EU citizens studying in the UK before 2021 can apply for the EU Settlement Scheme instead
For more information about how to apply for a UK student visa, don’t forget to check out our complete guide.
PTE Academic UKVI is approved by the UK Home Office for visa purposes. Book your test 24 hours in advance, get your results typically within 2 days – and bring your dream a step closer to reality.
Learn more about PTE Academic UKVI and book your test today!
During 2018 students, migrants, and professionals that sat PTE Academic received their scores in even less time than ever before. In fact, during 2018, 85.7% of PTE Academic test takers received their results within just 2 days.
Learning a language is much easier when you’re enjoying yourself – which is why watching movies can be a great way to immerse yourself in the language.
What better way is there to pick up new phrases and slang terms that you would not learn in the classroom, all with popcorn in hand?
It can be hard to know which movie to choose so here are our top ten to help you get started. These films are chosen for their language clarity and cultural insights, offering a fun way to improve English skills for beginners and advanced learners alike.
If you are not feeling confident, watch with subtitles and you will soon pick things up.
A fantastic choice for beginners, this film teaches English while taking you through the heart of American history. This movie is one of the best English movies for learners as Forrest speaks so slowly throughout the entire movie. It is also an iconic 90’s movie which will make you laugh and cry in equal measure.
Perfect for all ages, these films are a treasure trove of rich vocabulary set in a magical world. Many things make the Harry Potter series great for your linguistics skills! Aside from the rich vocabulary, due to the sheer number of films in the series you will get to build up your understanding of different characters, their personalities, accents and ways of communicating.
What a great idea for learning English – watching a film where the main character – a historic British figure – is learning to speak! King George VI struggles to communicate due to a speech impediment, which means pronunciation is a very big focus in this movie.
For lovers of classic literature, this film offers a window into historical British English. The movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice will also expose you to societal norms, colloquial expressions, formal language and phrases as this movie is set in the early 19th century England.
This is one of the best English movies to watch, especially for beginners. It is full of day-to-day phrases and a slower pace, so it is easier to follow along. It is also a Christmas classic for all the family.
Great for picking up informal turns of phrases, slang and expressions used by British people. It also showcases a variety of British (and Irish) accents, so you can expose yourself to a breadth of British ways of speaking.
A charming film for mastering conversational American English.
Immerse in everyday conversational English set in contemporary America.
Animated and perfect for beginners, this film is set in Medieval Scotland so you will get to experience the Scottish accent and culture as well as learning some everyday phrases and idioms.
This movie should be on your list if you are focusing on advanced language learning. The language and the plot are both really complex. You will be exposed to advanced vocabulary and narratives which are really thought-provoking.
These films offer an immersive, engaging, and often emotionally resonant context for language learning. Whether you're just starting or looking to refine your skills, each movie is a step forward in your language-learning adventure.
Ready to prepare for your English language test? Explore Smart Prep, which combines all our practice materials in one place, so it's easier for you to stay on track with your PTE preparation.
Smart Prep is a clear path to test day, guiding you through the official paid and free resources available for your test
It can be accessed whether you’ve booked a test or not – just create, or sign in to your myPTE account
Preparation materials include guided practice tests, introductory videos, video courses and test tips.
Smart Prep brings all our free and paid preparation into one convenient place, so you can mix and match to fit your unique needs. Perfect if you have booked your test and are not sure where to start with your preparation journey.
Here are four top tips to help you get started:
All you need to do is set up your free myPTE account, and you will have access to all our free and official prep resources — so everything you need to be ready ace your test is at your fingertips.
As close as you can get to the test without taking the real thing. Our unique Scored Practice Tests are just like a mock test and are marked in the same way as your PTE test. So you can see how you score and then focus on the areas you need to improve.
With five to choose from, we recommend you use them throughout your prep journey to check your progress.
Practice makes perfect and our PTE Academic Question Bank is packed full of questions with model answers, plus samples for speaking and writing. So you have plenty of opportunity to practice before the real thing.
Finally, don’t forget to download our free PTE Academic Handbook and Score Guide.
The handbook covers everything you need to know about taking PTE Academic - from how to prepare and test day policies, to how to retake your test if necessary.
And, the PTE Score Guide helps you understand things like what you’re graded on, how automated scores work, and how our scores compare with those of other English language tests.
PTE is more than an English language test. It’s your ticket to studying abroad.
