UK plans student visa shake-up
Overseas students in Britain wanting to stay on and look for work
after their courses end will no longer be able to do so under Government
plans to curb immigration laid out on Tuesday.
British High Commissioner Adam Thompson called on Foreign
Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. APP |
Hundreds of thousands of overseas students study at British
universities each year most from China, India and Ireland, with numbers
reaching record levels in 2009.
The Government wants to tighten controls on entry visas for overseas
students to address concerns that illegal immigrants are using them as
an easy way to get into the country.
“This Government wants high calibre students with the genuine desire
to study to come to our country for temporary periods, and then return
home,” Immigration Minister Damian Green said.
An overhaul of the student visa system would reduce the number of
people entering Britain to study below degree level, as well as toughen
English language requirements and limit students’ rights to work.
“Attracting talented students from abroad is vital to the UK but we
must be more selective about who can come here and how long they can
stay,” Green said.
“Too many students coming to study at below degree level have been
coming here to live and work…We need to stop this abuse.”
The student route currently accounts for two-thirds of migrants
entering the country each year.
If the Government’s proposals are passed, students will have to leave
the country and apply for a new visa to further their studies.
Reuters, Dawn |