The U.K.
In May 2025, the U.K. government published its immigration white paper “Restoring Control over the Immigration System”. One of the most significant proposals for international students was a reduction in the Graduate Route visa, the post-study work visa that allows international graduates to remain in the country and work after completing their degree.
Currently, for applications made on or before December 31, 2026, the Graduate visa will continue to be two years. From January 1, 2027, it will be 18 months. Doctoral graduates, including Ph.D., will continue to receive a three-year Graduate visa. So, if students finishing a Master’s in September 2026 have confirmed results and apply before December 31, 2026, they will get two years. If the application slips into January 2027, they will get 18 months
Financial requirement
There is also a change in the U.K. student visa financial requirement, effective for applications made on or after November 30, 2026. Currently, the requirement for London is £1,529/month. From November 30, it goes up to £1,570/month. Outside London, the current requirement is £1,171/month, which increases to £1,203/month. For Indian students who need to show financial evidence, the calculation will be Outstanding first-year tuition fees shown on the CAS + living-cost requirement. So, a student applying to a London university will need to show Outstanding tuition fees + £14,130. For a university outside London, it will be Outstanding tuition fees + £10,827.
Normally, a student has to hold required funds for 28 consecutive days, with the end of that period falling within the 31 days of the visa application. If the student has already paid a deposit to the institution for accommodation arranged by it, they can deduct that amount from the required maintenance funds. The maximum accommodation offset is also being increased to £1,570 from November 30, 2026.
Another aspect to be considered is the move from the Graduate Route to a Skilled Worker visa. This requires a salary of at least £41,700, or the going rate for that particular job, whichever is higher. However, recent graduates can qualify for a lower threshold of £33,400 if they meet the “new entrant” criteria. So, students need to think about whether the jobs they are targeting are likely to meet these salary requirements.
Canada
Canada is reducing the overall number of international students while creating some clearer pathways for graduate students. In 2026, IRCC expects to issue up to 408,000 study permits, including 155,000 for newly arriving students, which is down from a 437,000 target in 2025.
The country introduced a study-permit cap in 2024, which continues in 2026. For students who require a provincial/territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL), limited spaces are allocated to each province. Thus, getting an offer from a university is no longer the only consideration. The study permit process itself has become more competitive and needs to be planned carefully. But from January 1, 2026, students entering Master’s and Doctoral programmes at public institutions no longer need a PAL/TAL, an indication that Canada is specifically trying to attract graduate-level talent.
Important pathway
The Post-Graduation Work Permit still provides an important pathway to working in Canada after graduation, but eligibility has become more complicated. For graduates with a Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctoral degree, there is no field-of-study requirement. But students in non-degree programmes now need to graduate from an eligible field linked to Canada’s labour-market needs. The PGWP now has a language requirement. Degree graduates need CLB (Canadian Language Benchmark level 7 for English, NCLC 7 (the French equivalent) across all four language skills: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. A degree graduate needs at least IELTS General Training 6.0 in each of the four sections (or an equivalent).
Since January 2025, spouses of international students are generally eligible for an open work permit only in more limited circumstances. For example, the student may need to be enrolled in a Master’s programme of at least 16 months or a doctoral programme. For families where both partners were planning to work during the enrolment, this significantly changes the financial picture.
Students must demonstrate sufficient funds for tuition, transportation and living expenses without relying on Canadian employment. For applications made from September 1, 2026, a single student outside Quebec needs to show C$23,448 for living expenses alone, excluding tuition and transportation.
From April 1, 2026, post-secondary international students no longer need a separate co-op work permit for student work placements such as internships and co-op placements. At universities like Waterloo, which has one of the most respected co-op programmes in the world, this simplifies the process of doing work-integrated learning during the degree.
In conclusion, the UK is still a strong option, but students need to think beyond just getting into a university. Choosing the right programme, university, and career path from the start is now more important than ever. Canada has become more selective about who it wants to attract, and students who understand the rules before choosing their university and programme will be in a much stronger position.
With inputs from Kritika Malhotra
The writer is Founder and CEO, Inomi Learning, a Gurugram-based career and college guidance firm. info@inomi.in