UK to introduce new student visa system

Updated on: Friday, March 20, 2009

UK is introducing a new student visa system, which will place greater responsibility on universities and colleges in an attempt to weed out bogus students and

facilitate genuine applications. It is called Tier 4 of the Points Based System (PBS), wherein applicants need to score 40 points in order to qualify for a student visa - 30 points for a visa letter issued by a licensed sponsor and 10 points for showing you have enough money to cover your course fees and living costs (maintenance).

The visa letter is an 'unconditional offer' from an education provider (university/college). It shows that the education provider will act as the student's 'immigration sponsor,' is confident that he/she is capable of doing the course of study for which he/she has applied, and accepts responsibility for the student while he/she is in the UK. "Under Tier 4, we will see education providers taking the onus of ensuring a prospective student's ability and English language proficiency," said Chris Dix, regional director, South Asia and Gulf, UK Border Agency (UKBA).

He added that with the university/college acting as the 'immigration sponsor,' the visa officer will mainly be responsible for checking whether the student is capable of financing his/her study and stay in the UK. However, another change resulting from the inclusion of a visa letter is that students will now be tied to one education provider.

Further elaborating, Dix said, "Many students receive multiple 'offer letters,' which makes it increasingly difficult to keep track of which university/college they eventually enrol in. But, with the new visa tying a student down to a specific university/college, this will no longer be the case. This will further ensure that those going to the UK on a student visa are, in fact, there to study." So, while students may still receive multiple visa letters, they can use only one to apply for the visa. If the student wants to change institutions after obtaining the visa, he/she would need to take permission from the UKBA.

Dix said the objective of such a move is to help students be more confident of the education they are paying for, as only education providers approved by UKBA will be able to provide visa letters. So far, he added.

UK to introduce new student visa system

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