Home Secretary Relax Tier 4 Student Visa Rules Which Could See A Boost For UK Universities And Buy-To-Let Landlords

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 recently appointed Home Secretary appears to be sweeping in a new migration mood after relaxing working visa rules to allow more non-EU doctors andnurses to work in Britain. He has enabled the NHS to recruit more medical staff by excluding them from the migration cap, which means businesses and employers will be able to hire an extra 8,000 skilled non-EU workers, such as engineers, IT professionals and teachers.

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.

Podcast Version

Check out my Money Tips Daily Podcast  episode "Student Visa Rule Change Boost To Property Lettings " on Anchor! https://anchor.fm/charles-kelly/episodes/Student-Visa-Rule-Change-Boost-To-Property-Lettings-e1lnkdhttps://anchor.fm/charles-kelly/episodes/Student-Visa-Rule-Change-Boost-To-Property-Lettings-e1lnkd

Listen to my Money Tips Daily Podacst, "UK To Relax Visa Rules For Nurse’s And Doctors" by Charles Kelly https://anchor.fm/charles-kelly/episodes/UK-To-Relax-Visa-Rules-For-Nurses-And-Doctors-e1l62v/a-a40kat

See also:

UK Government To Change Visa Rules For Doctors And Nurses

London Tops University Destination For International Students

How Did Billionaire Chelsea FC Owner And London Resident Abramovich Allow His Investor Visa To Expire?

Home Office plans to send international students back home after spending up to £50000 obtaining a UK degree

The Sunday Times has leaked Home Office plans to force overseas students – who can spend as much as £50000 in course fees and living costs completing a UK degree at a minor university - to return to their home country after their courses finish before applying for a visa extension.

The latest Government plan to reduce net migration, reportedly being considered by the Home Secretary Theresa May, will be seen by international students, who bring in billions of pounds to the UK, as another slap in the face.

The news is bound to drive yet more of bright young people to the more student friendly visa regimes of Australia, Canada and other EU countries such as Germany.

Under May’s proposals, students from non-European countries would have to return home and apply for a work visa if they wanted to continue to live in the UK after graduation.

This means that if an employer wanted to sponsor a Tier 4 student visa graduate under a Tier 2 working visa, the candidate would have to travel back home to apply for another visa to re-enter the UK, a process which could take several months.

The report in The Sunday Times said Mrs May wants a future Conservative government to "move towards zero net student migration" by sending home those who come to Britain on student visas. 

A “source” close to the Home Secretary told the newspaper: "Making sure immigrants leave Britain at the end of their visa is as important a part of running a fair and efficient immigration system as controlling who comes here in the first place.

"Theresa is pressing for the next Conservative manifesto to contain a policy that will make sure that anybody coming here on a student visa will have to leave the country in order to apply for a new visa of any kind.

"She wants to make the colleges and universities that sponsor foreign students responsible for ensuring their departure.

"She wants to be able to fine colleges and universities with low departure rates and deprive the worst of them of their right to sponsor foreign students."

At present under the current Immigration Rules, the majority of graduate students are able to switch to a Tier 2 work visa whilst the UK. They also have options to apply for further leave to remain, for instance by switching to a Tier 1 or Entrepreneur visa.

The latest move will further erode the available options for graduate to remain in the UK. The previous Post Study Work (PSW), which allowed graduates to remain in the UK for up to 2 years in order to find an employer, was abolished along with other attractive features which helped make the UK a leading destination for fee paying students.

The coalition Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable, who holds responsibility for universities has previously warned about the anti-immigration message being sent out around the world which is putting off students from countries like India from attending UK universities.

A senior Lib Dem source said her plan made "zero economic sense" and could deprive the UK of highly-skilled graduates.

"Such a blunt instrument would not get our support," the source said.

"The idea that you have people from abroad studying in this country and they become engineers or scientists of huge practical value to the economy, and rather than have them stay here you immediately turf them out makes zero economic sense."

Whilst the proposals have yet to become law, any foreign student currently studying in the UK or considering coming to the UK to study at a British university will be affected by the new visa rules upon graduation. In other words, even if they idea is never followed through the damage has been done and UK universities will have lost international students and much needed fees.