National

U.K. implements new visa rules for students

NEW DELHI: The new visa rules for students implemented by the United Kingdom on Tuesday was intended at streamlining the process and ensuring that international students were assured of quality education, said an official of the U.K. Border Agency on Thursday. The agency is mandated to regulate migration to the U.K.

Barbara Woodward, international director of the agency, told journalists here that students from India made up about 20 per cent of the total international students who came to Britain every year.

“Last year about half a million visa applications were received, of which 80 per cent were processed. We approved 30,000 student visas last year,” she said.

Referring to the Tier 4 system that has been implemented, Ms. Woodward said the process would ensure that students could enrol only in those institutions that were licensed.

“The process has been streamlined. To get a visa, students will have to show they have a place at a licensed college and funds in the bank to support them for the duration of the course. We have also drawn up a list of about 1,000 colleges that have been licensed, because during the screening, we found some colleges were not offering the quality of education that we wanted,” she said.

Officials said of the 2,000 educational institutions that applied to accept international students, 460 were rejected. To assess the quality of education provided by these institutions, the agency carries out a vetting process.

Pointing out that the screening process was still under way, officials said they expected the number of licensed institutions to rise. “We expect the numbers to rise. We want to guarantee the students that the courses will provide them quality education that they expect and we want to give. These institutions will be monitored carefully,” said Ms. Woodward.

As per the new visa rules, educational institutions will have to keep the agency informed of the students in case of any misdemeanour. According to the officials, if a student has left the course, or is absent for long then the enforcement and removal operation will take place and the student can also be repatriated. The disciplinary action or penalty will be decided based on the circumstances.

The U.K., which faces a shortfall of skilled workers like doctors, dentists, senior nurses, secondary teachers, chefs and care-workers, is confident that the new point-based visa rules will help in attracting the right people suited for the jobs.

“By streamlining the process, we can expect more skilled people to fill the key positions and also gain experience here and take the skill base back home,” said Ms. Woodward, adding that the biometric system of travel documents being issued offered better security and protection against identity theft.

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