UK visa rules for students deterring foreign recruits
July 21 2009 by Mark Johnstone
UK visas for foreign students
The tough new UK visa restrictions for foreign youngsters who want to come study and move to the UK are leading to some being rejected, which is deterring a proportion of students from applying at all.
Hong Kong education agents claim that up to 40 per cent of student UK visa applications are being rejected and others are being held in long delays, which has led to many students missing the beginning of the term.
Home Office figures show an even worse state of affairs with only 30 per cent of Hong Kong applications being approved, down from 100 per cent last year. There are now fears that this drastic fall in student visas being granted will have serious repercussions on the UK’s universities and wider economy going forward.
The UK Council for International Students (UKCIS) claims that between April and June 2009, some 35 per cent of all applications from Chinese students were rejected, along with 21 per cent from the US and 49 per cent from India.
UKCIS’s chief executive, Dominic Scott, says he in concerned that the high rejection rate will result in the UK having a poor reputation for welcoming foreign students, which will prevent many from applying to study and move to UK. Foreign agencies that advise students say they are beginning to recommend that applications be made to study in Australia or the US instead of the make ing the move to the UK.
Foreign students pay £2.5 billion in tuition fees to universities each year, alongside an economic contribution of £1.89 billion.
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