Archives 2011

Post Study Work Visa….What Next ? There are only very few options left for the PSW Visa holders. Fahmida Khan, Consultant Editor, http://mwq.dei.mybluehost.me/ writes

PSW Overview
The Tier 1 – Post Study Work route was intended to allow recent international or Non EU graduates from most established universities / listed bodies to stay and work in UK for maximum for two years. PSW visa allows them to work without any restrictions but it cannot be extended beyond two years. A post-study worker is expected to switch into any of the below points-based system:

• Tier 1 General
• Tier 2 General or
• Tier 4

Current Situation
As of April 2011 the Tier 1 General category has been closed for all applicants.
Click here to read the full article

What Should I do if my College Licence is suspended?

College licence suspension means they are suspended from recruiting new students. Existing students will remain with the college as long as the licence is not withdrawn

My analytics shows that the entrant keywords for this web site are closely related to suspended colleges, which in turn reflects that popular demand is to keep a tab on their college’s current status.

During the past this blog had focused more on education policies in UK and immigration regulations in general but In order to cater to the demand based on analytics and popular queries, from now onwards this blog will be focusing more on student immigration matters, college regulations and hot topics such as suspended colleges

3. Question: Hello i am doing my MBA and i am left with my dissertation which i need to submit on august 12 2011 however my college is in suspension and my visa is going to get expire on 31july 2011, what do i do? do i have extend my visa from some other college or can apply from the same college which is suspension. since i had spoken in my college with regards to my extension they says, they won’t be able to provide CAS letter until college return to tier4 sponsor list, so kindly advice me what should i do. can i take conditional letter from college and apply for the visa

Answer: If your suspended college cannot issue a new CAS (to make possible you to renew your visa) you have to find another college! And apply for a fresh visa

Answer: It looks like your college licence was suspended and consequently withdrawn by UKBA. They will limit your permission to stay to 60 days if you were not involved in the reasons why your college had their licence withdrawn

(UKBA will not limit your permission to stay if you have less than six months left. You may want to apply for permission to stay with another approved education provider during this time)

While many students pursue their education overseas for its quality, some see a student visa as an easy ‘guarantee’ for permanent residency.

By TAN EE LOO

Informative article to read, click here for more

The next set of changes to the Immigration Rules affecting Tier 4 – the student tier – of the points-based system has been laid in Parliament today. The changes will come into effect on 4 July 2011.

The aim of the revised Immigration Rules is to deliver a strong migration system which tackles immigration abuse, while allowing genuine students to study at genuine colleges.

From 4 July UKBA will:

• Restrict work entitlements to migrants studying at higher educational institutions (HEIs) and publicly funded further education colleges only;
• Restrict the sponsorship of dependants to those studying at postgraduate level at HEIs on courses lasting at least 12 months, and government-sponsored students on courses lasting at least 6 months;
• Require education providers to vouch that a new course represents genuine academic progression;
• Ensure that maintenance funds are genuinely available to the applicant, by introducing a declaration on the visa application form;
• Commit to publish a list of financial institutions, on the basis of experience, which do not verify financial statements in more than 50 per cent of a sample of cases;
• Introduce a streamlined application process for low-risk nationals applying to attend courses with Highly Trusted Sponsors;
• Extend the list of courses for which students must receive ATAS clearance;
• Restrict the ability to deliver accountancy courses accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) to those sponsors accorded platinum or gold status by ACCA; and
• Clarify the position of overseas universities with campuses in the UK.

The much awaited and long anticipated changes in the Student Visa Policy was announced yesterday by the Home Secretary Theresa May, who said student visas were being abused and “too many were here to work and not to study”

According to UKBA, New Student Visa Policy in Summary, To be in effect from the First Week of April , 2011,The main changes are as follows:

§ From April 2012, any institution wanting to sponsor students will need to be classed as a Highly Trusted sponsor, and will need to become accredited by a statutory education inspection body by the end of 2012. The current system does not require this, and has allowed too many poor-quality colleges to become sponsors.

§ Students coming to study at degree level will need to speak English at an ‘upper intermediate’ (B2) level, rather than the current ‘lower intermediate’ (B1) requirement.

§ UK Border Agency staff will be able to refuse entry to students who cannot speak English without an interpreter, and who therefore clearly do not meet the minimum standard.

§ Students at universities and publicly funded further education colleges will retain their current work rights, but all other students will have no right to work. We will place restrictions on work placements in courses outside universities.

§ Only postgraduate students at universities and government-sponsored students will be able to bring their dependants. At the moment, all students on longer courses can bring their dependants.

§ We will limit the overall time that can be spent on a student visa to 3 years at lower levels (as it is now) and 5 years at higher levels. At present, there is no time limit for study at or above degree level.

§ We will close the Tier 1 (Post-study work) route, which allows students 2 years to seek employment after their course ends. Only graduates who have an offer of a skilled job from a sponsoring employer under Tier 2 of the points-based system will be able to stay to work.

Tougher rules for non-EU students, New Student Visa Policy Updates and PSW Closure…
The official consultation period on the student visa route closed by 31st Jan, 2011.

Yesterday, Damian Green, the Immigration minister, said “It seems to me that to allow unfettered access to the jobs market for two years to anyone with a student visa from abroad is putting an unnecessary extra strain on our own graduates,” – This implies limiting post-study work at a time when graduate unemployment is at its peak for 17 years.

According to the Yesterday’s Interview with BBC Immigration Minister Damian Green has announced a review of every route used to gain the right to live and work indefinitely in the UK. access the Interview Video with BBC here

As the official consultation ended up on newly announced student visa policy Expect further detailed procedures and guidelines in the coming days; it is to be finally announced means It is to be implemented by first week of April, 2011

We also expect, not wish – Revamp of settlement rights which means thousands of migrants are to lose the right to live in the UK permanently

Rushdy Razak

UK Immigration and Nationality Policy Handbook Volume 1 Strategic Information and Basic Regulations

BBC Reports that Courses, staff and students are to be reduced at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, (Uwic) as higher education funding cuts and changes take effect, according to BBC wales Education Minister Leighton Andrews, has repeatedly called for mergers between universities and in December the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales published proposals to reduce the number of universities in Wales from 10 to six, with just two universities in south east Wales.

Funding Cuts, Developing Story
Currently, universities and directly funded FE colleges receive HEFCE cash to pay for teacher training courses. Full-time students have access to bursaries, which cover the cost of fees and some living expenses, while part-time students’ employers have access to grants to cover their fees. according to Denise Robinson, director of the Consortium for Post-Compulsory Education and Training, said part-time students receiving “in-service” training – the route favoured by around 90 per cent of FE teachers – might have to pay as much as £8,000 for a two-year course when the changes come into effect in 2012/13 – more than five times the current fee of £1,500

Courtesy: BBC Wales, Times Higher Education/TES, More about Post Compulsory Education & Training Network

Oxford and Cambridge are very special universities – on that, at least, their supporters and detractors agree. But attempting to define how (and why) they are special opens up an intriguing debate, and one that is crucial for the whole of higher education in the UK. Put simply, are Oxford and Cambridge leaders, role models, or so different as to be irrelevant?

A very interesting article in Guardian, To read more follow this link

Manchester College of Higher Education and Technology, in Cheetham Hill, has won a legal fight to get back its license to sponsor overseas students.

Read more here