The British government has come up with tougher rules to stop people abusing the student visa system to remain illegally in the United Kingdom.




Home Secretary Alan Johnson said 30 per cent of migrants who came into the UK were on student visas and a number were adults taking short courses, not degrees.

Following the confirmation that Farouk AbdulMutallab, the Nigerian accused of attempted bombing of a United States airliner on Christmas Day,was a student in London between 2005 and 2008, the British government had been under severe pressure from opposition parties to tighten visa requirements, especially for students.

With the public's confidence in Nigeria's education system constantly on the decline, thousands of Nigerians annually seek to study in the United Kingdom.

The new rule, however, will not have much effect on Nigerians with the requisite qualification who genuinely intend to study in the UK.

But it could affect those wishing to use the students' visa window to bring their dependants to work in the UK during and after their studies.

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, under the new rules, effective immediately, successful applicants from outside the EU will have to speak English to a level only just below GCSE near-GCSE (equivalent of Senior Secondary School Certificate) standard, rather than beginner level as at present .

Also, students taking courses below degree level will be allowed to work for only 10 hours a week, instead of 20 as at present.

Those on courses, which last under six months, will not be allowed to bring dependants into the country, while the dependants of students on courses below degree level will not be allowed to work.

Additionally, visas for courses below degree level will also be granted only if the institutions they attend are on a new register, the Highly Trusted Sponsors List.

The Home Office would not confirm reports the changes may cut visas issued this year by tens of thousands.

A spokesman told BBC that a review of student visas had been ordered in November. In 2008/9, about 240,000 student visas were issued by the UK.

News of the new measures comes a week after student visa applications from Nepal, northern India and Bangladesh were suspended amid a big rise in cases.

Last year the UK introduced a system requiring students wishing to enter the country to secure 40 points under its criteria.

However, the government has faced criticism that this has allowed suspected terrorists and other would-be immigrants into the UK, only for them to stay on despite their visas being temporary.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, the home secretary denied the system had been lax before.

"We closed down 200 bogus colleges," he said. "By 2011, we will have the most sophisticated system in the world to check people not just coming into the country but to check they have left as well."

He said the UK remains open to those foreign students who want to come to the UK for legitimate study.

Alan Johnson: "If you are coming here for a course that is under six months you can not bring your dependents"

"We are the second most popular location for people going into higher education," he said.

"We have to be careful that we are not damaging a major part of the UK economy, between £5bn and £8bn."

Na wa oooooo

Hey man, whts up? I would like to ask ya some few questions. I wanna travel to S.A Cape Town precisely, but i have no idea on the visa stuff side and how much all that is gonna cost me. Plz can u be of any help.

M.Wayne:

Hey man, whts up? I would like to ask ya some few questions. I wanna travel to S.A Cape Town precisely, but i have no idea on the visa stuff side and how much all that is gonna cost me. Plz can u be of any help.

i no know oo walai, if na yankee student visa now , i full ground

Do u knw of anyone here, that can be of help on that. If any, pls relate to me his username so i can write him. Thanx alot.

Poster
Yeah right. . .Mutallab fallout creates more issues my batty!!!
How are you sure Mutallab's actions brought about the newly introduced conditions for a UK student visa?
You guys should be careful about the sort of information you spread on a public forum. . .
The key here is the abuse of the UK visa by people who enrol on short courses with a view to milking the system or are not genuine students
You are here waffling about Mutallab!!!
Na wa for una. . . .

MrCrackles:

Poster
Yeah right. . .Mutallab fallout creates more issues my batty!!!
How are you sure Mutallab's actions brought about the newly introduced conditions for a UK student visa?
You guys should be careful about the sort of information you spread on a public forum. . .
The key here is the abuse of the UK visa by people who enrol on short courses with a view to milking the system or are not genuine students
You are here waffling about Mutallab!!!
Na wa for una. . . .

crackles, me and u nvr fyt b4 oo make we no start ooo, that was wat BBC broadcasted . we all knw how pple without genuine intention to study flood UK all in d name of a student,

nethacker:

crackles, me and u nvr fyt b4 oo make we no start ooo, that was wat BBC broadcasted . we all knw how pple without genuine intention to study flood UK all in d name of a student,

Pal it aint a fight tho. . .
But did BBC say it was because of Mutallab
Ok dont be mad, i didnt mean to rubbish you. . . I got respect for peeps who have for me so at the end of the day, no beef. . .
I dont condone Mutallab's actions, who knows, some of the underlying reasons might include terrorist threats. . .
Cheer up boss

MrCrackles:

Pal it aint a fight tho. . .
But did BBC say it was because of Mutallab
Ok dont be mad, i didnt mean to rubbish you. . . I got respect for peeps who have for me so at the end of the day, no beef. . .
I dont condone Mutallab's actions, who knows, some of the underlying reasons might include terrorist threats. . .
Cheer up boss

ain't no probs bro, u be my guy any day anytime

LOL, good that you people settled your fight , but seriously poster the header is quite misleading . The article only makes a slight reference to MUTTALLAB . Well all i have to say is the largess on UK student visas is slowly coming to an end . All the stuff being talked about here is not possible on a US student visa . The upside is that people who have genuine interests remain unaffected

Pittbaby:

LOL, good that you people settled your fight , but seriously poster the header is quite misleading . The article only makes a slight reference to MUTTALLAB . Well all i have to say is the largess on UK student visas is slowly coming to an end . All the stuff being talked about here is not possible on a US student visa . The upside is that people who have genuine interests remain unaffected

we no be women now so we no get issues
@ d bolded,pls wat do u mean by that?

The US student visa is very strict , you can not work off campus unless you can prove hardship , (not easy to do) . You must carry a full load , i.e  you must be full time 12-19 credits per semester as required by the institution. You can bring a spouse , not an easy process and usually not approved unless you can prove that you can support them above poverty level (an additional $600 per month for your first dependent and $400 per month each for any additional dependents.)  this is in addition to tuition and financial support for yourself . You are only allowed to work 20 hrs a week on campus, how will you earn that if you don't have it saved up already. Average student work is $8-$13 per hour so unless you are one of the lucky ones with a scholarship or an assitantship which provides full tuition and a stipend (room and board in some cases) not an easy task.

so again the UK student visa is very lenient they are just tightening up because of the wide spread abuse

Pittbaby:

The US student visa is very strict , you can not work off campus unless you can prove hardship , (not easy to do) . You must carry a full load , i.e  you must be full time 12-19 credits per semester as required by the institution. You can bring a spouse , not an easy process and usually not approved unless you can prove that you can support them above poverty level (an additional $600 per month for your first dependent and $400 per month each for any additional dependents.)  this is in addition to tuition and financial support for yourself . You are only allowed to work 20 hrs a week on campus, how will you earn that if you don't have it saved up already. Average student work is $8-$13 per hour so unless you are one of the lucky ones with a scholarship or an assitantship which provides full tuition and a stipend (room and board in some cases) not an easy task.

so again the UK student visa is very lenient they are just tightening up because of the wide spread abuse

@pittbaby, u hv explained well, i understand what u mean cos am a student here too n hv seen how it works, US student visa no be easy thing at all, r u in ohio?

yes , cleveland