8th Feb 10
UK Government tighten student visa regulations
by Harry Oldfield
The Government has announced that less student visas will be issued to foreign students under tougher rules to prevent would-be immigrants abusing the system.
In the crackdown, students would have to be required to pass a more difficult English test to be issued with a visa, and applications from outside the EU would have to attain levels close to GCSE level.
Students on short courses will not be able to bring dependants, and students who wish to take non-degree courses will be allowed to work only 10 hours per week.
Home secretary Alan Johnson said the curbing of the points-based system, introduced last year, did not send a message that overseas students were not welcome. The Conservatives said the student visa system had been the ‘biggest hole in border controls’ and called for tighter regulations.
The proposed changes follow a review sparked by concerns in the rise of student applications from some parts of the world.
He went on to say that the UK will be open to foreign students who wish to come to the UK for legitimate study, but the government would come down hard on those who flout the rules.
Statistics show that about 30 per cent of migrants are on student visas, along with a growing number of adults taking short courses. A total of 240,000 student visas were issued in 2008-2009.
Our Stories
- BT to introduce ultra-fast broadband
- Retail veteran warns of high street death spiral
- Tesco exec who sold shares moved from role
- Tesco market share slips
- UK consumer confidence recovers
- Gary Speed talked of suicide before death
- Tesco scraps carbon-label pledge
- UK university applicant numbers fall 8.7%
- Stelios blasts easyJet bonuses
- Train staff to get Olympic bonus
- New house buyers drop by 10.5 per cent
- US economy sees fourth quarter growth increase
Popular Topics
afghanistan al qaeda Apple ASDA bank of england barack obama BBC british airways china david cameron Debenhams Egypt facebook george osborne Google India ipad iphone ivory coast japan Libya London M&S Marks & Spencer Morrisons nhs North Korea Office for National Statistics pakistan protests russia sainsburys Sainsbury’s South Korea terrorism Tesco Tunisia UK UK retailers UK retail news UK shopping us Waitrose Wikileaks x factorArchive
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- January 2009
