NEW DELHI, FEB 13
The UK today partially lifted a ban on accepting visa applications from students in north India for higher studies, a move that will benefit thousands of aspirants to study in that country.
British Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills Pat McFadden announced that the UK Border Agency will be partially lifting the suspension on Tier 4 visa application, meant for students in north India.
The UK Border Agency had imposed the temporary suspension from February 1 in north India after it received unprecedented rise in the number of applications.
“The suspension was taken in response to a huge surge in applications over a very short period of time. I am delighted to be able to announce today that, from March 1, this suspension will be lifted for all students wanting to study higher education courses, whether foundation degrees, undergraduate or postgraduate,” McFadden, who is visiting India, said here.
However, the temporary suspension remains in place for all those wanting to study at lower levels.
“But we will continue to keep this under review and will lift it as soon as we can, and once the new ‘highly trusted sponsor’ system for colleges and other educational establishments across the UK is in place,” he said.
The temporary suspension of new Tier 4 applications was implemented in three application centres in north India — Jalandhar, Chandigarh and New Delhi.
Immigration officials are currently putting in place the new “highly trusted sponsor” system for colleges and other educational establishments across the UK.
The UK Home Secretary Alan Johnson has announced a number of changes to the criteria of Tier 4 of the points based system, following a review of its operation. He said bogus students will find it difficult to gain entry and work in the UK illegally.
The new regulations will ensure that students studying below degree level have a limited ability to work in the UK, and that their dependants cannot work there at all.
It will be even harder for bogus students, whose only aim is to work in the UK, to come into the country, he said.
According to official figures, the direct value of students from India and other non-European Union countries to the UK economy is estimated at 8.5 billion pounds annually.
Currently, there are nearly 50,000 Indian students studying in British universities and colleges.
Since last March, the government has said all foreign students requires to be sponsored by a college licensed by the UK Border Agency, and to demonstrate that they can support themselves once they get here before being granted a visa.