UK all set to cut education visas by 50 per cent
International students contribute almost £14 billion to the UK economy, making higher education one of this country's most valuable exports.
London: The UK government is finalizing plans to cut annual student visa figures by nearly half, from the current 3,00,000 to 1,70,000, a media report said on Monday amid a sharp fall in students coming to the country from outside Europe, including India.
Some university chiefs are also warning that many Indian students are already being denied visas on minor grounds as part of a wider move to cut immigration into the UK.
“They are telling some students there is exactly the same quality of course available in India so why are you coming here. That is outrageous,” a UK vice-chancellor was quoted as saying by the Guardian newspaper.
The move comes despite recent UK Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures indicating there has been a drastic drop in students coming to the UK from outside Europe.
“International students contribute, directly and indirectly, £14 billion to the UK economy, making higher education one of this country’s most valuable exports...Over the last five years, the number of Indian students attending UK universities has halved,” said Lord Bilimoria, leading Indian-origin entrepreneur, who himself came to the UK as a student.
Indians in UK varsities
- 10,664 Indians granted visas between June 2015 and 2016.
- India is the third-largest country in terms of student visa applications after the US and China.