Tough visa rules deterring overseas students coming to UK
From the Guardian Education blog. Not only is it difficult to get to the UK, once here big brother is watching and Universities have to act as his eyes and ears!
Universities and schools face international student shortfall as new visa system causes rejections and delays
Thousands of international students are being warned against coming to study at universities and schools in the UK because of tough new visa rules, it is claimed.
Up to 40% of overseas students who apply for a study visa are being turned away, say education agents in Hong Kong.
Others are subject to such long delays that they miss the start of the school or college term. The agents said they were encouraging students to apply to Australia or the US instead.
They blame the UK's new points-based immigration system, which was introduced in April to stop bogus students entering the country.
The Home Office said 30% of study visas from Hong Kong are being approved, down from 100% last year. The same is thought to be happening across the world, but particularly in Asia.
A drop in the number of international students will have severe financial repercussions on already hard-pressed universities and on the UK economy.
Overseas students pay tuition fees worth an estimated £2.5bn to UK universities each year and contribute an annual £1.89bn to the university sector. Many stay in the UK after they graduate.
In 2007-08, there were more than 45,300 students from China at UK universities, and 9,700 from Hong Kong. Some 3,000 students from Hong Kong and China join private schools in the UK each year.
Dominic Scott, the chief executive of the UK Council for International Students, said that between April and June this year, 35% of visa applications from China were refused. Some 49% of applications from India and 21% from the United States were rejected.
Students need an unconditional offer to apply for a visa, but do not receive this until they have their GCSE or A-level results.
They then have to apply for the visa, which can take up to eight weeks, by which time the college or school term has started and the university term is about to begin.
For example, the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination results are released at the beginning of August, so visas aren't received until mid-September – after term has begun.
Scott said: "Our concern at the moment is not that people submitting applications are going to be refused, but that they may be put off and scared by the very high refusal rate, which may make them reconsider."
Steve Lo, an agent working in Hong Kong to recruit students for Portsmouth, East Anglia and Northumbria universities, said 40% of his students – up to 300 of them - had been turned away by visa officials.
Hundreds more have to wait up to eight weeks for their visas, he said.
Lo said: "The students are disappointed and we are telling them they are better off applying to Australia because the visa application there takes as little as two weeks. We don't want them to wait and then not get a visa."
James Pitman, managing director of the Study Group, which has centres for international students across the country, said: "Our agents report that students are worried about applying and are therefore opting for the easier alternative: Australia."
Universities UK, the umbrella group for vice-chancellors, said a survey of their members conducted in May showed that in Japan and Hong Kong there were reports of five- or six-week delays. In China, there was a refusal rate of 80% soon after the new system began.
Diana Warwick, the chief executive of Universities UK, said: "Despite signs of improvement, it is still likely to be a nervous summer for universities as they support their international students through the visa process and await the decisions of entry clearance officers around the world. International students do not come automatically to the UK. Our universities work hard to attract them and offer them a high education."
She said overseas students offered a "huge academic, cultural and financial benefit" to the UK. "We are in serious danger of sending out a message that the UK does not welcome international students," she said.
Matthew Burgess, the deputy chief executive of the Independent Schools Council, said small errors could mean an application was refused. "It's a real test to get all the information right," he said.
A spokesman from the UK Border Agency said: "We make no apology for carrying out tougher checks, and by working with the education sector we have made every effort to ensure that the information of the points-based system has been a success. The government will continue to welcome students who wish to receive a first-rate education, but they must first prove they are legitimate."
Bookmark this on Delicious - Saved by 
Back in April I was interviewed by Peter Bradwell, of the UK think tank Demos. for a research project he was leading on the impact of technology on Higher Education.
Comments [0]