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Britain's decision to enforce its new points-based student visa regime from October is a promising move for Indian student numbers.
The UK government has tabled its new points-based Student Route for visas in Parliament, which it says simplifies the previous Tier 4 student visa application requirements for international students applying to study in Britain. The route, to apply to all overseas students including Indians from October 5, will mean students require a total of 70 points to be granted a visa to study at a UK university. They will achieve the required points if they can demonstrate that they have an offer from an approved educational institution, speak English and are able to support themselves during their studies in the UK. The UK Home Office said the new route treats all students equally, including students from Europe coming to study after the Brexit transition period ends in December.
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“The new Student Route is a welcome announcement for thousands of Indian students who opt for a UK education every year to gain international exposure. It offers greater flexibility and ease of immigration for applicants,” said Barbara Wickham, Director British Council India.
“With the post-study work benefits of the Graduate Immigration Route and the launch of the Student Route, the UK has further solidified its commitment towards international students, and enabling more than ever, their dreams of pursuing a world-class education,” she said.
The British Council highlighted that the change would have a further positive impact on the number of Indian students choosing the UK as a higher education destination, which has been on the rise in the past few years. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that Indian nationals accounted for 17 per cent of the total 299,023 sponsored study visas granted by the Home Office in the year ending March 2020, with the number more than doubling from 2019 to hit a total of 49,844 grants - a continuous rise since 2016.
“Now we have left the European Union (EU), we are free to unleash this country's full potential and implement the changes we need to restore trust in the immigration system and attract talent to drive our economy forward,” said UK Minister for Future Borders and Immigration Kevin Foster.
“Launching the Student Route early sends a clear message to the world we want the best and brightest to come to the UK to study at our globally renowned education institutions,” he said.
As a result of coronavirus, some overseas students have been facing hardships and also choosing to defer their entry onto courses in the UK until the Spring semester of early next year. Therefore, the government said it chose to introduce the new route now so that students would be able to benefit from the new streamlined process whilst still giving sponsors time to adapt after their Autumn intake this month.
The route's avowed aim is to treat all students equally, with international students, including those from the EU coming to study after the Brexit transition period ends the free movement of people within the economic bloc.
According to the Home Office, the new Student Route improves on the previous Tier 4 route by making it more streamlined for sponsoring institutions and their students, creating clearer pathways for students, and ensuring the UK remains competitive in a changing global education market. It also reiterated that there would be no limit on the number of international students who can come to the UK under the route. The move is aimed at increasing the total number of international students choosing to study in the UK higher education system each year to 600,000 by 2030, as set out in the International Education Strategy published in March last year.