Professor Sasha Roseneil, Co-Chair of ResearchPlus
ResearchPlus and the Russell Group have jointly written to the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, urging the government to exempt Chevening scholarship holders from the ‘visa brake’ policy announced in March 2026, arguing that applying the restrictions to this cohort is neither necessary nor proportionate.
ResearchPlus is the relatively new collaborative of research-focused universities of which Sussex is a member and our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sasha Roseneil, is Co-Chair.
The two organisations – together representing 34 of the UK's leading research universities – acknowledge concerns about asylum claims from individuals who previously held student visas, but they argue that the visa brake is a blunt instrument that takes no account of applicants' assessed risk profiles, nor some of the government’s own policy objectives.
The letter follows on from the Vice-Chancellor’s earlier interventions in relation to the ‘visa brake’, which have included a HEPI blog, advocacy and meetings with parliamentarians.
The Chevening scheme and the student visa route
The scheme has operated for more than 40 years and plays a significant role in the UK's soft power and global influence. Twenty-two alumni have gone on to become heads of state and 15% hold prominent government positions in their home countries. Given that Chevening scholars are selected through a rigorous, government-led competitive process that evaluates academic merit, leadership potential, and the intention to return home after studies, the letter argues that a narrowly defined exemption would be a limited and proportionate step - one that reinforces rather than undermines the principle of fairness.
Both organisations, ResearchPlus and the Russell Group, have offered to work constructively with government as policy in this area continues to develop, noting that universities have direct operational insight into the student visa route.
The full letter can be read on the ResearchPlus website, and was reported in The Independent.