The Canadian Immigration Minister thinks the UK Border Agency’s revocation of London Metropolitan University's Tier 4 licence to sponsor overseas students has “strengthened” the UK’s image abroad.
Jason Kenney, Canada’s outspoken Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, told Times Higher Education the controversial decision demonstrated the UK's commitment to ensuring high-quality higher education, rather than damaging its reputation overseas.
His views are in direct contradiction to those of 'UK Universities', which recently warned that not only is the government’s action damaging Britain’s reputation, but was also responsible for 400 private colleges effectively opting out of the new Tier 4 sponsoring system.
The UK Border Agency has 'closed down' an estimated 500 so called “bogus” colleges in just 18 months.
He is now warning that the Canadian Government will be "go the same direction".
"We need to facilitate student study visas for bona fide students going to bona fide institutions," he added. That meant recognising that "there are many sub-par institutions that are not providing quality programmes, and which are mostly facilitating various forms of legal migration for people coming on study programmes".
Commenting on the revocation of the UK Government owned London Met's, which lost it’s licence to recruit non-EU students weeks before the start of the new academic year, Kenney continued:
"We have very similar problems and we intend to take similar steps. I read the London Met controversy as sending a strong message that the UK is going to maintain the integrity of its post-secondary brand to international students."
It remains to be seen whether the Canadian Government would revoke the licence of one of its own universities. On the other hand, profit making privately owned colleges are always seen as fair game for regulators.
20,000 foreign students gain permanent residence in Canada under Canadian Experience Class programme
Despite the tough rhetoric, Canada is still trying hard to attract the brightest and best from around the world – not only to take their fees, but to offer them the opportunity stay on and gain Candian permanent residence (PR) and contribute to the country.
Since Canada launched its Canadian Experience Class, a programme designed to encourage overseas students to attend the country's universities, in 2008, over 20,000 foreign students have been granted Canadian permanent residence, which can lead to Canadian Citizenship.
Under current UK Immigration Rules, it is not possibleto gain Indefinite Leave to Remain on a Tier 4 Student Visa and it will take years to be naturalised as a British Citizen.
Tony Blair’s Labour Government launched the successful Student Initiative, a similar programme to attract international students, as well as the Post Study Work Visa (PSW) and High Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP), all of which have since been ditched.
Tier 4 students must now find a qualifying Tier 2 sponsoring employer to stay on and work in the UK after graduating, and stay in employment for at least five years bofre applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or permanent residence.
Cynthia Barker of Immigration Advisers Bison Management UK points out that in the world of British immigration 'there is more than one road to heaven'.
"Some students have gained UK residence by taking advantage of human rights 'Article 8 right to a family life' laws after entering into relationships or having children with a settled person.
"We have helped migrants and students even after they had overstayed, been refused, deported or committed a crime such as bigamy." She added reminding migrants and students to "Seek advice from a qualified OISC registered immigration adviser and NEVER give up!".
Kenney added that with such a strong drive to recruit from overseas, Canadian universities had a responsibility to ensure that new arrivals integrated into the campus community.
"The question is how to accommodate a growth in the foreign student market without sacrificing the quality of the study experience," he said. "If [universities] just want to go for the fast track and bring in unlimited numbers of foreign students without any regard for the quality of their student life, then I think that's a mistake."
Kenney added: "Some of the more responsible universities in Canada have said to me that they should be careful. Yes, they want to attract foreign students - they enrich campus life and they certainly bring fees - but (the institutions) want to make sure that they don't end up with parallel communities forming on campus."
University administrators had a responsibility to "make sure it's a quality product, a quality experience, and that the kids actually feel like they're going to school in England or Canada instead of back home".
"Quite frankly, if you're coming from an upper-middle-class Chinese family to study in Britain or Canada, your primary focus is to learn English," he added. "You shouldn't want to end up in a university where 30 or 40 per cent of the students are Mandarin speakers."
The Minister spoke to THE following an appearance at Immigration and Integration: A North American Perspective, an event in London hosted by UK thinktank Policy Exchange. Source: Times Higher Education.
Related immigration articles:
500 private Tier 4 sponsor colleges closed by UK Border Agency
Immigration to Canada could help solve labour shortage says Minister Jason Kenney
New Tier 2 jobs report by Migration Advisory Committee – Graduate level jobs only for work permits
UK overseas student market in danger of collapse after constant immigration crackdowns
High Court grants London Met University temporary injunction against licence revocation giving overseas students a stay of execution
UK University applicants drops 8.7% but non-EU students increase, UCAS figures reveal
New Tier 4 student visa rules now in force
Student visa crackdown damaging our reputation abroad, Universities UK warns
MORE CHALLENGES FOR TIER 4 STUDENTS AS ‘3-YEAR RULE’ APPLIED
HIGHLY TRUSTED PRIVATE COLLEGE STUDENTS DO NOT HAVE THE SAME RIGHT TO WORK AS GOVERNMENT SPONSORED INSTITUTIONS
Post Study Work Visa to be abolished April 2012 as part of student visa clampdown
UK university setting up a memorial scholarship in memory of murdered Indian student
Can family dependants of Tier 4 Students work while studying in the UK?
Free service launched to help overseas students study at UK Universities
If you need any immigration advice or are worried about the new immigration rules or need help with Sponsorship or Tier 2 working visa, Tier 4, applying for university if your college has closed down, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, Dependant Visa or an Appeal against a refusal, or if you have been waiting for a reply from the Home Office for longer than a year, please email:
info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk for free immigration news updates.
See also: Why the world wants to be Canadian
MIGRATE TO CANADA
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Saturday, 27 October 2012
UK Postgraduate Student policies damaging education sector
The UK Higher Education Commission has called for an urgent policy review on postgraduate students, which they say are the key to Britain’s continued success in an increasingly competitive, globalised world.
Why then are policymakers creating an environment – slow growth in UK jobs, closure of post study work visa (PSW) and clampdowns on international students and colleges - which is forcing postgraduates to take their skills elsewhere?
The report, published today by the Higher Education Commission highlights a range of issues, such as increasing fees, inactive banks and negative changes to UK Immigration that may ‘inflict significant damage on the health of the postgraduate sector’.
In addition rising tuition fees have hit Higher Education, especially the postgraduate sector where there are no state-backed student loans as there are for undergraduates. The continued reluctance of the banks to lend money, despite massive taxpayer input, has made the situation worse.
Britain is the “education outsourcing capital of the world”, the report states, but warns that more emphasis is needed on up-skilling of the UK population.
Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: "We must make the most of all our talents, and that is no less important in postgraduate studies which are now dominated by overseas students.
“It is vital that our brightest graduates are not priced out of postgraduate study. This is why the Sutton Trust has commissioned a new study on social mobility, which includes looking at access to postgraduate courses”
British students and workers must compete with the brightest and best from around the world, just as footballers have to fight for their place amongst the best international talent. However, the end result is the most exciting football league on the planet.
Whilst international Tier 4 students are vital in creating and retaining economic ties with other countries, some are concerned that many courses in universities are sustained by and reliant almost entirely on international students.
The government place an “annual limit on the number of non-EU economic migrants admitted into the UK to live and work” which means that these courses and even universities may have close causing irreparable damage to “Britain’s research capacity”.
The report adds that the current postgraduate study policy is “out of step with Britain’s ambition to be the leading knowledge-based economy of the world, and also out of step with other countries that the UK is currently competing with”.
This damaging situation will worsen whilst students are including in government targets to more than halve net migration.
Earlier this month, the Russell Group warned that tougher visa rules are leading to a drop in international applicants.
As predicted by Immigration Matters, international students are spurning the UK’s most prestigious universities as a direct result of UK Border Agency's relentless immigration crackdowns.
UK universities in the Russell Group – which represents 24 top ‘red brick’ institutions, such as Oxford and Cambridge – are seeing a drop of up to 30 per cent in applications from Indian students for some courses.
In conclusion, the report advises policymakers to ‘take a holistic view of the English education system’, and calls on the ministers to “immediately establish a taskforce to examine the feasibility of a postgraduate student loan scheme and develop policy options, reporting by December 2013”.
A Department for Business, Innovation and Skills spokeswoman said: "We recognise that there are some concerns in the sector about postgraduate provision. We have asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England to monitor and review participation in postgraduate study as part of a longer term assessment of the impact of the funding changes."
It's a bit like trying to add an urgently needed runway at London Heathrow, the busiest international airport in the world.
Another inquiry, another report, and another day at the office for overpaid civil servants and ministers scratching their backsides and playing with figures but taking no action. By the time the current anti-immigration policies are reversed, the UK’s £40 billion international under graduate and post graduate student market will be in tatters.
See also:
UK overseas student market in danger of collapse after constant immigration crackdowns
High Court grants London Met University temporary injunction against licence revocation giving overseas students a stay of execution
London Metropolitan University ask High Court to block Tier 4 licence revocation
London Met student visa licence remains ‘revoked’ say UK Border Agency
UK University applicants drops 8.7% but non-EU students increase, UCAS figures reveal
New Tier 4 student visa rules now in force
Student visa crackdown damaging our reputation abroad, Universities UK warns
MORE CHALLENGES FOR TIER 4 STUDENTS AS ‘3-YEAR RULE’ APPLIED
HIGHLY TRUSTED PRIVATE COLLEGE STUDENTS DO NOT HAVE THE SAME RIGHT TO WORK AS GOVERNMENT SPONSORED INSTITUTIONS
Post Study Work Visa to be abolished April 2012 as part of student visa clampdown
UK university setting up a memorial scholarship in memory of murdered Indian student
Can family dependants of Tier 4 Students work while studying in the UK?
Free service launched to help overseas students study at UK Universities
If you need any immigration advice or are worried about the new immigration rules or need help with Sponsorship or Tier 2 working visa, Tier 4, applying for university if your college has closed down, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, Dependant Visa or an Appeal against a refusal, or if you have been waiting for a reply from the Home Office for longer than a year, please email:
info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk for free immigration news updates.
Majestic College offer special packages for EU students for UK work study programmes. They also have a number of employers looking for staff right now and are willing to employ Bulgarians and Romanians.
For more information call Joanna on 0208 207 1020 info@majesticcollege.org
UK NARIC ASSESSMENT
It doesn’t matter where you come from – UK, Europe or anywhere else in the world, it is important to ensure that your qualifications are recognised. In the UK there is a national agency that carries out this service, they are called UK NARIC.
Why then are policymakers creating an environment – slow growth in UK jobs, closure of post study work visa (PSW) and clampdowns on international students and colleges - which is forcing postgraduates to take their skills elsewhere?
The report, published today by the Higher Education Commission highlights a range of issues, such as increasing fees, inactive banks and negative changes to UK Immigration that may ‘inflict significant damage on the health of the postgraduate sector’.
In addition rising tuition fees have hit Higher Education, especially the postgraduate sector where there are no state-backed student loans as there are for undergraduates. The continued reluctance of the banks to lend money, despite massive taxpayer input, has made the situation worse.
Britain is the “education outsourcing capital of the world”, the report states, but warns that more emphasis is needed on up-skilling of the UK population.
Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: "We must make the most of all our talents, and that is no less important in postgraduate studies which are now dominated by overseas students.
“It is vital that our brightest graduates are not priced out of postgraduate study. This is why the Sutton Trust has commissioned a new study on social mobility, which includes looking at access to postgraduate courses”
British students and workers must compete with the brightest and best from around the world, just as footballers have to fight for their place amongst the best international talent. However, the end result is the most exciting football league on the planet.
Whilst international Tier 4 students are vital in creating and retaining economic ties with other countries, some are concerned that many courses in universities are sustained by and reliant almost entirely on international students.
The government place an “annual limit on the number of non-EU economic migrants admitted into the UK to live and work” which means that these courses and even universities may have close causing irreparable damage to “Britain’s research capacity”.
The report adds that the current postgraduate study policy is “out of step with Britain’s ambition to be the leading knowledge-based economy of the world, and also out of step with other countries that the UK is currently competing with”.
This damaging situation will worsen whilst students are including in government targets to more than halve net migration.
Earlier this month, the Russell Group warned that tougher visa rules are leading to a drop in international applicants.
As predicted by Immigration Matters, international students are spurning the UK’s most prestigious universities as a direct result of UK Border Agency's relentless immigration crackdowns.
UK universities in the Russell Group – which represents 24 top ‘red brick’ institutions, such as Oxford and Cambridge – are seeing a drop of up to 30 per cent in applications from Indian students for some courses.
In conclusion, the report advises policymakers to ‘take a holistic view of the English education system’, and calls on the ministers to “immediately establish a taskforce to examine the feasibility of a postgraduate student loan scheme and develop policy options, reporting by December 2013”.
A Department for Business, Innovation and Skills spokeswoman said: "We recognise that there are some concerns in the sector about postgraduate provision. We have asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England to monitor and review participation in postgraduate study as part of a longer term assessment of the impact of the funding changes."
It's a bit like trying to add an urgently needed runway at London Heathrow, the busiest international airport in the world.
Another inquiry, another report, and another day at the office for overpaid civil servants and ministers scratching their backsides and playing with figures but taking no action. By the time the current anti-immigration policies are reversed, the UK’s £40 billion international under graduate and post graduate student market will be in tatters.
See also:
UK overseas student market in danger of collapse after constant immigration crackdowns
High Court grants London Met University temporary injunction against licence revocation giving overseas students a stay of execution
London Metropolitan University ask High Court to block Tier 4 licence revocation
London Met student visa licence remains ‘revoked’ say UK Border Agency
UK University applicants drops 8.7% but non-EU students increase, UCAS figures reveal
New Tier 4 student visa rules now in force
Student visa crackdown damaging our reputation abroad, Universities UK warns
MORE CHALLENGES FOR TIER 4 STUDENTS AS ‘3-YEAR RULE’ APPLIED
HIGHLY TRUSTED PRIVATE COLLEGE STUDENTS DO NOT HAVE THE SAME RIGHT TO WORK AS GOVERNMENT SPONSORED INSTITUTIONS
Post Study Work Visa to be abolished April 2012 as part of student visa clampdown
UK university setting up a memorial scholarship in memory of murdered Indian student
Can family dependants of Tier 4 Students work while studying in the UK?
Free service launched to help overseas students study at UK Universities
If you need any immigration advice or are worried about the new immigration rules or need help with Sponsorship or Tier 2 working visa, Tier 4, applying for university if your college has closed down, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, Dependant Visa or an Appeal against a refusal, or if you have been waiting for a reply from the Home Office for longer than a year, please email:
info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk for free immigration news updates.
Majestic College offer special packages for EU students for UK work study programmes. They also have a number of employers looking for staff right now and are willing to employ Bulgarians and Romanians.
For more information call Joanna on 0208 207 1020 info@majesticcollege.org
UK NARIC ASSESSMENT
It doesn’t matter where you come from – UK, Europe or anywhere else in the world, it is important to ensure that your qualifications are recognised. In the UK there is a national agency that carries out this service, they are called UK NARIC.
500 Tier 4 sponsor colleges closed by UK Border Agency
The UK Border Agency has closed down an estimated 500 so called “bogus” colleges in just 18 months, leaving thousands of overseas students stranded, broke and wondering what on earth they have done to deserve this sort of treatment.
If each of those 500 colleges had just 200 students paying fees of around £5000 per head, that means 100,000 innocent students could have lost up to £500 million in fees when the colleges went out of business.
Furthermore, Britain loses £500,000,000 of fees the following year, the year after that and for all the subsequent years the colleges would have been trading. Then there's the cost of thousands of staff losing jobs at a time when the country needs to get people back into work to come out of recession.
The loss of VAT alone amounts to £100 million a year, which could have gone towards paying off Labour's trillion pound national debt, currently costing the taxpayer millions a day in interest payments.
Perhaps we should ask the Home Office, while they pat themselves on the back, who is going to replace the lost tax revenues?
Despite the news, the university sector is insisting that for “genuine and legitimate students”, Britain is still an attractive place to study.
Is that strictly correct? A private college owner who spoke to Immigration Matters today claims that up to 80% of student visas are being refused in 5 countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nigeria.
He complained that if their 'refusal rate' goes above 20% (something over which they have no control) they could lose their Highly Trusted Status (HTS).
Recently, one of his Pakistani candidates was refused a Tier 4 student visa, following a short interview behind plate glass, on the basis that the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) was "not satisfied" that his English was good enough to complete the course.
The same student has an IELTS certificate with an overall band pass mark of 6.5, which is above the level required for most degree level courses and to satisfy visa requirements!
The right of appeal against a student visa refusal was removed when the points based system was introduced in 2009 because, the Home Office stated, decisions on student visas were going to be made on the basis of a points score and not on the subjective views of ECO's.
Chinese students still make up the largest number of overseas students in Britain. India, which has seen large numbers of students shun British colleges and universities, has the second highest number of non-EU students in the UK.
Universities UK President of and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol, Professor Eric Thomas, acknowledged that a large number of colleges had been closed down over the last year and a half but highlighted that there is no cap (as there is for Tier 2 working visas) on the numbers of international Tier 4 students coming to the country.
"The UK Border Agency has closed 500 colleges in the UK within the last 18 months. They have ceased to trade," Thomas said.
However, he said that "despite some recent high-profile negative coverage of the UK's student visa system, the reality is that the UK welcomes genuine international students".
He added that international students make a fundamental contribution to university life and international demand for places remains strong. Besides, plenty of post-study work opportunities also continue to exist, he claimed.
But many students from countries like India see a different reality to Professor Thomas. Last month, the UK Border Agency revoked the government owned London Metropolitan University's (LMU) Tier 4 licence to sponsor non-EU students, a decision that affected thousands of students including a large number of Indians.
Students are still reeling from the draconian decision, which has been challenged in the High Court and, like many private college suspensions, is the subject of a judicial review.
Joanna Newman, Director of the UK Higher Education International Unit (IU) reports that there was a decrease in the number of students registered to study in the UK following a number of damaging newspaper reports. She said that "abuse is less than 2 per cent and it is incumbent on the Universities to verify the genuineness of students".
"There were as many as 39,090 Indian students in 2010/11 as against 67,325 Chinese students. We have close relations with the Indian Government. We are not only working with the Indian Government but collaborating with various Universities," she said.
Critics would argue that it’s not the Indian Government she needs to be “working with”. Try the UK Border Agency!
She added that there has been a number of changes to the system but “legitimate students” can still get a student visa if they meet the UK Border Agency's requirements.
"Post-study work is still an option for international students once they graduate, through a new category. No further changes to the UK immigration system are planned," she said.
Well, not this month at least. In any case, the damage has been done.
Not sure which planet these two commentators are living on? The Post Study Work Visa was abolished this year and the “new category” is simply a part of the Tier 2 working visa structure which involves finding a suitable sponsoring employer.
In spite of the UK Border Agency’s clampdowns on colleges and harsh changes to the Tier 4 student visa rules, the UK has for the moment managed to hang on to its position as a leading study destination, second only to the USA.
The top universities are still ranked among the world's leading research institutions, as measured by total publications and citations.
Yesterday, the Higher Education Commission called for an urgent policy review on postgraduate students, which they say are the key to Britain’s continued success in an increasingly competitive, globalised world.
Policymakers are creating an environment of slow growth in UK jobs, closure of post study work visa (PSW) and clampdowns on international students and colleges, which is forcing postgraduates to take their skills to countries like Canada and Australia.
The Russell Group, which represents elite universities has warned that tougher visa rules are already leading to a drop in international applicants.
Universities will see a drop in in-country applicants fed through from private colleges.
It should be noted that just because a college closes down, it does not necessarily follow that it is 'bogus'. Like any other business, colleges close for a variety of reasons, most of which are financial.
Private colleges have struggled to recruit students following discriminatory changes to the Immigration Rules last year banning all work and family dependants for their students.
Some Tier 4 college owners have simply given up trying to jump through yet more hoops and meet ever higher requirements, a process which government owned universities have not had to go through. A number are voting with their feet and wallets by setting up colleges in other countries which welcome their investment.
More immigration stories:
UK overseas student market in danger of collapse after constant immigration crackdowns
High Court grants London Met University temporary injunction against licence revocation giving overseas students a stay of execution
London Metropolitan University ask High Court to block Tier 4 licence revocation
London Met student visa licence remains ‘revoked’ say UK Border Agency
UK University applicants drops 8.7% but non-EU students increase, UCAS figures reveal
New Tier 4 student visa rules now in force
Student visa crackdown damaging our reputation abroad, Universities UK warns
MORE CHALLENGES FOR TIER 4 STUDENTS AS ‘3-YEAR RULE’ APPLIED
HIGHLY TRUSTED PRIVATE COLLEGE STUDENTS DO NOT HAVE THE SAME RIGHT TO WORK AS GOVERNMENT SPONSORED INSTITUTIONS
Post Study Work Visa to be abolished April 2012 as part of student visa clampdown
UK university setting up a memorial scholarship in memory of murdered Indian student
Can family dependants of Tier 4 Students work while studying in the UK?
Free service launched to help overseas students study at UK Universities
If you need any immigration advice or are worried about the new immigration rules or need help with Sponsorship or Tier 2 working visa, Tier 4, applying for university if your college has closed down, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, Dependant Visa or an Appeal against a refusal, or if you have been waiting for a reply from the Home Office for longer than a year, please email:
info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk for free immigration news updates.
Majestic College offer special packages for EU students for UK work study programmes. They also have a number of employers looking for staff right now and are willing to employ Bulgarians and Romanians.
For more information call Joanna on 0208 207 1020 info@majesticcollege.org
UK NARIC ASSESSMENT
It doesn’t matter where you come from – UK, Europe or anywhere else in the world, it is important to ensure that your qualifications are recognised. In the UK there is a national agency that carries out this service, they are called UK NARIC.
If each of those 500 colleges had just 200 students paying fees of around £5000 per head, that means 100,000 innocent students could have lost up to £500 million in fees when the colleges went out of business.
Furthermore, Britain loses £500,000,000 of fees the following year, the year after that and for all the subsequent years the colleges would have been trading. Then there's the cost of thousands of staff losing jobs at a time when the country needs to get people back into work to come out of recession.
The loss of VAT alone amounts to £100 million a year, which could have gone towards paying off Labour's trillion pound national debt, currently costing the taxpayer millions a day in interest payments.
Perhaps we should ask the Home Office, while they pat themselves on the back, who is going to replace the lost tax revenues?
Despite the news, the university sector is insisting that for “genuine and legitimate students”, Britain is still an attractive place to study.
Is that strictly correct? A private college owner who spoke to Immigration Matters today claims that up to 80% of student visas are being refused in 5 countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nigeria.
He complained that if their 'refusal rate' goes above 20% (something over which they have no control) they could lose their Highly Trusted Status (HTS).
Recently, one of his Pakistani candidates was refused a Tier 4 student visa, following a short interview behind plate glass, on the basis that the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) was "not satisfied" that his English was good enough to complete the course.
The same student has an IELTS certificate with an overall band pass mark of 6.5, which is above the level required for most degree level courses and to satisfy visa requirements!
The right of appeal against a student visa refusal was removed when the points based system was introduced in 2009 because, the Home Office stated, decisions on student visas were going to be made on the basis of a points score and not on the subjective views of ECO's.
Chinese students still make up the largest number of overseas students in Britain. India, which has seen large numbers of students shun British colleges and universities, has the second highest number of non-EU students in the UK.
Universities UK President of and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol, Professor Eric Thomas, acknowledged that a large number of colleges had been closed down over the last year and a half but highlighted that there is no cap (as there is for Tier 2 working visas) on the numbers of international Tier 4 students coming to the country.
"The UK Border Agency has closed 500 colleges in the UK within the last 18 months. They have ceased to trade," Thomas said.
However, he said that "despite some recent high-profile negative coverage of the UK's student visa system, the reality is that the UK welcomes genuine international students".
He added that international students make a fundamental contribution to university life and international demand for places remains strong. Besides, plenty of post-study work opportunities also continue to exist, he claimed.
But many students from countries like India see a different reality to Professor Thomas. Last month, the UK Border Agency revoked the government owned London Metropolitan University's (LMU) Tier 4 licence to sponsor non-EU students, a decision that affected thousands of students including a large number of Indians.
Students are still reeling from the draconian decision, which has been challenged in the High Court and, like many private college suspensions, is the subject of a judicial review.
Joanna Newman, Director of the UK Higher Education International Unit (IU) reports that there was a decrease in the number of students registered to study in the UK following a number of damaging newspaper reports. She said that "abuse is less than 2 per cent and it is incumbent on the Universities to verify the genuineness of students".
"There were as many as 39,090 Indian students in 2010/11 as against 67,325 Chinese students. We have close relations with the Indian Government. We are not only working with the Indian Government but collaborating with various Universities," she said.
Critics would argue that it’s not the Indian Government she needs to be “working with”. Try the UK Border Agency!
She added that there has been a number of changes to the system but “legitimate students” can still get a student visa if they meet the UK Border Agency's requirements.
"Post-study work is still an option for international students once they graduate, through a new category. No further changes to the UK immigration system are planned," she said.
Well, not this month at least. In any case, the damage has been done.
Not sure which planet these two commentators are living on? The Post Study Work Visa was abolished this year and the “new category” is simply a part of the Tier 2 working visa structure which involves finding a suitable sponsoring employer.
In spite of the UK Border Agency’s clampdowns on colleges and harsh changes to the Tier 4 student visa rules, the UK has for the moment managed to hang on to its position as a leading study destination, second only to the USA.
The top universities are still ranked among the world's leading research institutions, as measured by total publications and citations.
Yesterday, the Higher Education Commission called for an urgent policy review on postgraduate students, which they say are the key to Britain’s continued success in an increasingly competitive, globalised world.
Policymakers are creating an environment of slow growth in UK jobs, closure of post study work visa (PSW) and clampdowns on international students and colleges, which is forcing postgraduates to take their skills to countries like Canada and Australia.
The Russell Group, which represents elite universities has warned that tougher visa rules are already leading to a drop in international applicants.
Universities will see a drop in in-country applicants fed through from private colleges.
It should be noted that just because a college closes down, it does not necessarily follow that it is 'bogus'. Like any other business, colleges close for a variety of reasons, most of which are financial.
Private colleges have struggled to recruit students following discriminatory changes to the Immigration Rules last year banning all work and family dependants for their students.
Some Tier 4 college owners have simply given up trying to jump through yet more hoops and meet ever higher requirements, a process which government owned universities have not had to go through. A number are voting with their feet and wallets by setting up colleges in other countries which welcome their investment.
More immigration stories:
UK overseas student market in danger of collapse after constant immigration crackdowns
High Court grants London Met University temporary injunction against licence revocation giving overseas students a stay of execution
London Metropolitan University ask High Court to block Tier 4 licence revocation
London Met student visa licence remains ‘revoked’ say UK Border Agency
UK University applicants drops 8.7% but non-EU students increase, UCAS figures reveal
New Tier 4 student visa rules now in force
Student visa crackdown damaging our reputation abroad, Universities UK warns
MORE CHALLENGES FOR TIER 4 STUDENTS AS ‘3-YEAR RULE’ APPLIED
HIGHLY TRUSTED PRIVATE COLLEGE STUDENTS DO NOT HAVE THE SAME RIGHT TO WORK AS GOVERNMENT SPONSORED INSTITUTIONS
Post Study Work Visa to be abolished April 2012 as part of student visa clampdown
UK university setting up a memorial scholarship in memory of murdered Indian student
Can family dependants of Tier 4 Students work while studying in the UK?
Free service launched to help overseas students study at UK Universities
If you need any immigration advice or are worried about the new immigration rules or need help with Sponsorship or Tier 2 working visa, Tier 4, applying for university if your college has closed down, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, Dependant Visa or an Appeal against a refusal, or if you have been waiting for a reply from the Home Office for longer than a year, please email:
info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk for free immigration news updates.
Majestic College offer special packages for EU students for UK work study programmes. They also have a number of employers looking for staff right now and are willing to employ Bulgarians and Romanians.
For more information call Joanna on 0208 207 1020 info@majesticcollege.org
UK NARIC ASSESSMENT
It doesn’t matter where you come from – UK, Europe or anywhere else in the world, it is important to ensure that your qualifications are recognised. In the UK there is a national agency that carries out this service, they are called UK NARIC.
Friday, 10 February 2012
How students can get a UK tax refund
You could qualify for a tax refund if you are an overseas student, work permit holder, Tier 1, Yellow or Blue Card holder - in fact any visa type – even if you are no longer legal!
Wherever you are working in the world, whether on a work permit or student visa or even illegally, the bad news is you will have to pay tax.
The good news is that you may now be able to claim a lot of this money back!
Even non-studying Tier 4 students and UK visa overstayers, who are most likely still paying tax on their illegal earnings to the government, can qualify for a tax refund.
How to claim a tax refund
Taxback.com provides tax refunds in 16 countries worldwide including the UK. So whether you were a care worker in Britain, a Domestic Worker in London or worked construction in Melbourne taxback.com can help you.
Taxaback.com provides a unique FREE tax refund calculators, so you can find out how much you’re owed right away.
No refund - No fee
Plus taxback.com operates under a strict No Win-No Fee policy so if you worked in the UK, US or Oz you will only have to pay if you get a refund. To apply for your refund now simply register here and download your tax pack. It’s so easy!
Taxback.com Average Customer Refunds:
Australia Income Tax $2,500 Australia Superannuation $1480
US $800 Canada $904
UK £963 Ireland €840
Just arrived?
No need to wait before leaving a country to get your tax back.
If you have just entered any of the following countries, get in touch with taxback.com now to get your tax refund process in place:
*Canada
*New Zealand
*Australia
*United Kingdom
*USA
If you have any questions contact taxback.com’s live chat team about your tax refund now – they are only a click away.
Wherever you are working in the world, whether on a work permit or student visa or even illegally, the bad news is you will have to pay tax.
The good news is that you may now be able to claim a lot of this money back!
Even non-studying Tier 4 students and UK visa overstayers, who are most likely still paying tax on their illegal earnings to the government, can qualify for a tax refund.
How to claim a tax refund
Taxback.com provides tax refunds in 16 countries worldwide including the UK. So whether you were a care worker in Britain, a Domestic Worker in London or worked construction in Melbourne taxback.com can help you.
Taxaback.com provides a unique FREE tax refund calculators, so you can find out how much you’re owed right away.
No refund - No fee
Plus taxback.com operates under a strict No Win-No Fee policy so if you worked in the UK, US or Oz you will only have to pay if you get a refund. To apply for your refund now simply register here and download your tax pack. It’s so easy!
Taxback.com Average Customer Refunds:
Australia Income Tax $2,500 Australia Superannuation $1480
US $800 Canada $904
UK £963 Ireland €840
Just arrived?
No need to wait before leaving a country to get your tax back.
If you have just entered any of the following countries, get in touch with taxback.com now to get your tax refund process in place:
*Canada
*New Zealand
*Australia
*United Kingdom
*USA
If you have any questions contact taxback.com’s live chat team about your tax refund now – they are only a click away.
UK Immigration and visa fees to rise again
UK Immigration Minister Damian Green has issued a written ministerial statement outlining a proposed hike in visa and in-country application immigration fees.
The proposals, which will almost certainly be implemented, will be laid in Parliament in 2 separate regulations and, subject to Parliamentary approval, the government hopes to bring the new fees into force from 6 April 2012.
Immigration minister, Damian Green said:
'It is only fair that those who use and benefit from the immigration system contribute a higher share of the cost of running it - reducing the burden on the UK taxpayer.'
Fees will increase by only 2 per cent in the majority of cases, but there will be higher increases on certain routes.
A full list of the proposed fees and the written ministerial statement, which can be found on the UK Border Agency website. Source: UK Border Agency.
EU migrants, such as Romanian and Bulgarian citizens applying for yellow cards, do not pay fees, but are charged for an appeal against a refusal.
The government recently introduced new fees for immigration and asylum appeals.
See also:
How will the new ‘minimum salary for residency’ proposals affect you?
Settlement in UK to be linked to a minimum salary of £31,000 says Immigration Minister
New fees for immigration and asylum appeals
Employment restrictions for Bulgarians and Romanians extended until end of 2013
7 tips for completing a Yellow Card BR1 application to work and study in the UK
Immigration Rules for Bulgarian and Romanian nationals
If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk
The proposals, which will almost certainly be implemented, will be laid in Parliament in 2 separate regulations and, subject to Parliamentary approval, the government hopes to bring the new fees into force from 6 April 2012.
Immigration minister, Damian Green said:
'It is only fair that those who use and benefit from the immigration system contribute a higher share of the cost of running it - reducing the burden on the UK taxpayer.'
Fees will increase by only 2 per cent in the majority of cases, but there will be higher increases on certain routes.
A full list of the proposed fees and the written ministerial statement, which can be found on the UK Border Agency website. Source: UK Border Agency.
EU migrants, such as Romanian and Bulgarian citizens applying for yellow cards, do not pay fees, but are charged for an appeal against a refusal.
The government recently introduced new fees for immigration and asylum appeals.
See also:
How will the new ‘minimum salary for residency’ proposals affect you?
Settlement in UK to be linked to a minimum salary of £31,000 says Immigration Minister
New fees for immigration and asylum appeals
Employment restrictions for Bulgarians and Romanians extended until end of 2013
7 tips for completing a Yellow Card BR1 application to work and study in the UK
Immigration Rules for Bulgarian and Romanian nationals
If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk
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