Calls to cut UK student visas for Pakistanis are unjust
April 15 2009 by Bryan Palmer
Following the arrest of a group of 12 men, ten of which were Pakistani students, on terror charges last week in the North of England, there have been calls to limit the numbers of Pakistanis allowed to study in the UK. However, limiting numbers because of a tiny minority of terror suspects would be a mistake.
Non-EU nationals, who would have trouble being approved for a UK visa through the new skilled work visa points-based system, do have the opportunity to gain a visa to study in the UK. However, this has become more difficult under the new Tier 4 scheme, which requires prospective students to be sponsored by a licensed educational institution.
This, in itself, should help to weed out any unscrupulous applicants and is not prejudice against the thousands of genuine students from Pakistan, many of whom go on to contribute much to UK industry.
Around 10,000 student visas are granted to Pakistani students each year, while 20 times this number are rejected, illustrating that tough regulations are already being imposed to identify bogus applicants and ensure standards are high.
Overall, limiting the number of students allowed to come and study in the UK from Pakistan because of a potentially dangerous minority, (0.024% based on recent figures) would be both prejudice and misguided.
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