From November it will be more difficult
for Indian students to travel to the UK. Britain on Tuesday announced a fresh
crackdown on student visas as further measures of the Immigration Act came into
force.
Tougher rules will be imposed on
universities and colleges who sponsor international students to study in the UK
from November.
Currently educational institutions can
enjoy highly trusted sponsor status if the home office rejects 20% or fewer
student applications. But that figure will be cut to 10% in November after a
three-month grace period for colleges and universities to re-examine and
improve their admissions procedures. If more than one in 10 applications are
being rejected from November onwards educational institutions could lose their
right to bring in new students from overseas.
The change will
ensure all institutions are administering immigration rules to enjoy the
benefits of bringing in foreign students.
The numbers of
students to all universities coming to the UK from India fell by 38% between
2011 and 2012.
It is estimated that
the overall value of UK higher education exports to the economy in 2011-12 was
around $17 billion. Income from international (non-EU) students generated
through their tuition fees in 2012-13 came to $5 billion, which represented
around 30% of all tuition fees. Data revealed by the Higher Education Funding
Council for England shows that the number of Indian students fell from 18,535
in 2010-11 to 13,250 in 2011-12 and further to 10,235 in 2012-13.
UK has recorded a
sharp dip in overseas students enrolling in universities -the first fall in 29
years -thanks to Indians giving it a skip.
Home secretary Theresa May said, “We are building an immigration system that is fair to British citizens and legitimate migrants, but tough on those who abuse it or flout the law.
Home secretary Theresa May said, “We are building an immigration system that is fair to British citizens and legitimate migrants, but tough on those who abuse it or flout the law.
