The Student Visa Scandal - Fraud in Student Visa System Exposed

The Student Visa Scandal
Will broadcast in BBC One, Monday 10 February at 20:30 BST, by Richard Watson

"What Panorama has uncovered is extremely important, it's very shocking and I want to do something about it”

Home Secretary Theresa May

• The Home Office has suspended English language tests run by a major firm after BBC Panorama uncovered systematic fraud in the student visa system
  
• The Home Secretary said the government had suspended the two colleges (immigration consultancy called Studentway Education in Southall, West London and Eden College International in East London)
  
• All further English language tests done through ETS in the UK had also been suspended
  (ETS - One of the biggest English language testing companies in the world)
  
• Fake Bank documents: Undercover researchers were also sold fake bank details to show they had enough funds to stay in the UK
  
  

Courtesy: BBC, Video Link to the undercover footage  

Post Study Work Opportunities – An Australian Perspective

Post Study Work Opportunities – An Australian Perspective

The determination of the Home Office to reduce UK immigration, curtailing Post study work options may be hindering aspirations to attract more international students, but Australia’s newly elected government has no such hang-ups. Being the sixth biggest country in the world, Australia is the third most popular international student destination in the world according to OECD. It has become a rival country in terms of the market share of international students; more students are now opting to study in Australia than UK as post study work benefits are favourable in Australia

The Australian government has speeded issuing visas and extended “after study programes” such as post study work opportunities. Graduating Australians with bachelors' degrees can now stay for up to two years, those with a master's degree can stay for two or three years and those with doctorates can stay for upto four years

The Australian Coalition government plans to develop a national strategy for international education drawing on a report led by National Australia Bank chairman Michael Chaney and commissioned by the previous Labor government. It had predicted that international education could rebound to be worth over A$19 billion to Australia by the end of the decade. In UK, International students contribute approximately £10 billion a year to the economy according to the Department for Business Innovation and Skills.

Due to the increase of tuition fees, many UK degrees now cost around £ 9000. From 6 April 2012, Tier 1 (Post-study work) was closed to all International students – please refer our article ‘Post Study Work Visa......What Next? - Part II for more details. The sense of feeling unwelcome will probably drive away international students to Universities in the US, Australia and the rest of Europe.

It is evident that the Australian opening of new opportunities for Post Study work options will entice new international students whilst the draconian UK visa rules would indeed dissuade potential international students.

New video aims to dispel ‘myths’ on visas

UK universities, the Home Office and the British Council are today launching a new film following Indian students on their journey to study in Britain in an attempt to dispel “myths” about the process.

The coalition has tightened up the student visa process since it came to office in 2010, introducing tougher English language checks and ending international students’ automatic right to work for two years after graduation.
In 2011-12 there was a 24 per cent drop in the number of Indian studentsat UK universities, although this was offset by a large rise in the number from China.

Courtesy: THE

Just 119 Graduate Entrepreneur visas granted in 12 months

A visa scheme set up to mitigate the loss of the post-study work route for international students granted just 119 work permits in its first year.

The graduate entrepreneur visa for international students with “world-class and innovative” business ideas was launched in April 2012. It was brought in as the popular Tier 1 post-study work visa, which allowed non-European Union students to work for two years after graduation, was axed – a change that has been credited with causing a huge drop in demand for UK courses from students in some countries, especially India.

Read more here...

Playing by rules, Work entitlement for private tier students

Home Office ‘looking into’ partnership between Glyndwr University and London School of Business and Finance
It is understood that the Home Office has been looking into the partnership between Glyndwr University and the London School of Business and Finance, although there is no suggestion that any rules have been broken.

The breakdown of the arrangement follows the end of a similar partnership that the LSBF had last year with London Metropolitan University.

Read more here