Thousands more foreign students will be able to study in UK universities
under plans to relax Tier 4 visa rules the Home Office announced this week.
The Mail on Sunday said the Government will scrap rules
requiring overseas students to provide evidence of sufficient funds to live
here and speak English.
Students add billions to UK economy say universities
Home Secretary Sajid Javid has simplified the process of
securing so-called 'Tier 4' visas for students from countries it considers a
'low risk' of abusing the system.
Critics warned that easing the rules risked bogus or
underqualified students who submitted applications in a bid to beat border
controls slipping through the net. But the Home Office insisted there was no
evidence students from the countries involved had exploited the system. Officials
insisted random spot-checks would weed out wrong-doing.
Home Secretary Sajid Javed
The measure follows other immigration reforms unveiled by Mr
Javid designed to make it easier for skilled non-EU migrants to work and live
in the UK.
The Home Office has also added 11 countries to its 'trusted'
list for the purpose of student visas. The additional countries – China,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Mexico, Bahrain, Serbia, Dominican Republic,
Kuwait, Maldives and Macau – bring the list to 30, but excludes India.
They join trusted countries on list including Argentina,
Australia, Barbados, Botswana, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, Japan,
Malaysia, New Zealand, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago,
United Arab Emirates, the US and Taiwan.
Overseas students from the nations on the list will enjoy a
streamlined application process, with fewer documents required when applying
for visas.
They will no longer need to submit evidence showing they
meet the requirements for living costs of up to £1,265 a month, previous
qualifications or evidence they can speak English fluently.
Figures show that in the year to March, some 100,769
students from the 11 nations were granted Tier 4 student visas to study in the
UK.
The new measures have been welcomed by
UK universities who have
argued for easing restrictions on foreign students, claiming they contribute of
£2.3billion annually to the British economy.
But Migrationwatch warned of a so-called 'slippery slope', saying:
'The last time the student visa system was loosened in 2009 it took years to
recover from the massive inflow of bogus students, especially from India.'
In other measures, the Tier 1 immigration route for
highly-skilled individuals will be expanded to include fashion designers who will
be able to apply for the visas for 'exceptional talent' in the fields of
science, humanities, engineering, medicine, digital technology or the arts.
The Home Office said the route was also being opened up to a
wider pool of TV personalities and film stars.
Mr Javed also confirmed that Afghan interpreters and their
families who have relocated to the UK can apply free for permanent residence.
Increased
numbers of students coming to study in the UK could provide a much needed boost
to the economy and buy-to-let property market, which have slowed since the Brexit
referendum and stamp duty hikes.
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