More than 99,000 non-EU students visas curtailed by the Home Office in the past three years

More than 30,000 non-EU students a year have had their visas curtailed by the Home Office in the past three years, according to the figures obtained by BBC News show. Also it is revealed that 410 educational establishments had their licences to sponsor international students revoked in the same period.

The figures, released by the Home Office under Freedom of Information rules, show 99,635 students had their visas curtailed in the three years to the end of December 2015:

• 33,210 in 2013
• 34,210 in 2014
• 32,215 in 2015

Of the educational establishments that lost their licences, there were

• 199 in 2013
• 129 in 2014
• 72 in 2015

Some later had their licences reinstated - but, overall, the number of establishments holding them fell from 1,706 in 2013 to 1,405 by the end of last year.

According to official figures, 201,763 students applied for UK study visas last year.

These include:

• 166,366 at universities
• 15,982 in further education
• 2,930 in English language schools
• 13,675 in independent schools

According to an Office of National Statistics published in January, 192,000 international students arrived in the UK for long-term study in the year to June 2015 - down from a peak of 238,000 in 2010.

Summary of Recent Changes to UK Student Visa 2014, 2015, 2016 July onward
1. Summary of Recent Changes to UK Student Visa and News Watch end of 2015 to 2016,February

2. An overview of the student immigration rules 2016 April onward (Download from UKCISA)

College fraud claim: Payments to a Cardiff campus and its students were suspended

A recruiter for West London Vocational Training College in Cardiff said they could cheat their way to receiving thousands of pounds, Recruiter, Kazi Shajahan offered to sell coursework needed for qualifications.

It prompted Education Minister Huw Lewis to suspend payments to West London Vocational Training College and to its Cardiff students.

The college, based on the city's Greyfriars Road, has nearly 100 IT and business students. Those on Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) can receive up to £17,000 a year in loans and grants, which will only be repaid when they earn more than £21,000 annually.

One of the journalists faked a GCSE certificate and applied for funding which was approved. Another potential student, who does not want to be identified, says Mr Shajahan offered him the chance to take part. "He was offering £10,000 student finance plus the grant," he claimed.

Also College principal Dr Manoj Kumar is revealed to have faked his Cambridge University PhD and teaching certificates

Courtesy: BBC Wales presenter Tim Rogers and the Week In Week Out team uncovered the allegations Week In Week Out is on BBC One Wales at 22:40 GMT on Tuesday, 1 December

Summary of Recent Changes to UK Student Visa 2015 / 2014

Summary of Recent Changes to UK Student Visa 2015 / 2014

With the implementation of Immigration Act 2014, a New health surcharge is to be introduced from next month, further with the introduction of Immigration act 2014, the appeal rights in most cases will be replaced by a system of administrative review also landlords will be required to check the immigration status of prospective tenants (ie students)

Below is a summary of new student visa rules / changes (2014/ 2015), new changes to Immigration Act 2014 and other reviews

Introduction of the Immigration Health Charge –From 6th April, 2015 
For all immigration applications made on or after the 6 April 2015.

The immigration health surcharge will cost:

• £150 for students and their dependants 
• £200 for other applicants e.g. Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur), Tier 2 and Tier 5 Youth Mobility 

The sum is an annual amount and you will be charged the annual amount for each year of the maximum period of leave at the point you apply for your visa. For example, an undergraduate student will pay an extra £450 at the time of their student visa application to UK. This additional charge is mandatory failure to pay can lead to your visa being refused.

The following groups are exempt:

• Entry clearance applications for 6 months or less; 
• Visitor visa applications (except the extended Student Visitor route) 
• Nationals of Australia and New Zealand, and British Overseas Territories Citizens who are resident in the Falkland Islands.

For futher details

No more Appeals - Appeals replaced with Administrative Review
For Tier 4 applications made on or after 20 October 2014, the Appeals process for refusals has been replaced by Administrative Review (AR). An AR is when the Home Office reviews the decision-making process made by the caseworker when considering the application. It is not a legal process handled by the Immigration Tribunal

Administrative review requires a payment of £80 for a single decision, or a decision on applications by a main applicant and dependants. It must be refunded if the outcome of the administrative review is that the decision is withdrawn.

More detail on administrative review could be found here

Increase in visa application fees from April 2015 

• The new fees will be as below: 
• Tier 4 (General) application outside the UK - £322 
• Tier 4 (General) standard application in Country (in UK) - £439 
• Tier 4 (General) premium application - £839 
• Student Visitor - £85 
• Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) in the UK - £456 
• Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) outside the UK - £335

New Visa Issue Procedure (Out of Country Applications)
The UK Government is changing the way that it issues permission for people to come to the UK (UK Student Visa) from abroad for more than six months.

When you apply for your Tier 4 visa, you will be granted with an endorsement in your passport (vignette or sticker inside your passport) which is your visa to enter the UK. If your visa is granted for a period of 6 months or more, you will only be given a 30-day visa in your passport as a leave to enter the UK. You must arrange to enter the UK within that 30 day period. Along with your visa and passport, you will also receive a written notification (or decision letter) informing you to collect a longer term visa from a designated Post Office branch once you have arrived in the UK. Your long term visa is called a biometric residence permit (BRP) and is in the form of a credit card sized card with a chip which will contain your biometric information.

Timetable for BRP roll-out

As this is a new procedure for UK visa applications made outside the UK, it is currently not compulsory for everyone to have a BRP. This new procedure will be introduced in stages and the estimated roll-out will affect UK visa applications made in the following countries as follows:

Phase 1 – 18 March 2015 - Pakistan

Phase 2 - Mid April 2015 (estimated, subject to the exact date legislation comes into force)

Armenia	Cambodia	Estonia	Iceland	Laos	Nepal
Bangladesh	China	Finland	India	Libya	Netherlands
Bhutan	Cyprus	Germany	Indonesia	Maldives
Burma	Denmark	Gibraltar	Italy	Malta

Phase 3 - 31 May 2015

Afghanistan	Bermuda	Falkland Islands	Malaysia	Philippines	Taiwan
Ascension Island	Brunei	Fiji	Mongolia	Qatar	Trinidad & Tobago
Australia	Canada	Guyana	New Zealand	St Helena	United Arab Emirates
Bahamas	Cayman Islands	Iran	Nigeria	St Lucia	USA
Bahrain	Dominican Republic	Jamaica	Oman	Singapore	Yemen
Barbados	Egypt	Japan	Papua New Guinea	South Korea

Phase 4 - 31 July 2015 - Rest of the world

Finally, a brief guide on how to apply for UK Student Visa
(The Requirements for Tier 4 General Student Entry Clearance: How to make your application)
Before making any type of application for immigration permission, you should read the appropriate current Tier 4 General policy guidance thoroughly.

• Obtain your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from your University
• Check if you need an ATAS clearance certificate,  (ATAS clearance is required for some taught postgraduate and many science and technology related research subjects.)
• Obtain appropriate evidence to meet the maintenance/ funding requirements.
• Complete the relevant visa application form Online (Unless you are a national of Cuba or North Korea)
• If you wish to bring your family member(s) or partner with you as a Dependant, please remember to include them in your application. Please read the PBS Dependent Guidance on the additional maintenance requirements for Dependants.
• As a part of your Tier 4 visa application (UK Student Visa Application), you may be required to attend an interview with the UK Home Office /UK Embassy or High Commission

Applying to study in the UK

Applying to study in the UK is relatively easy and straightforward. Depending on your study level, there are different ways to apply - Through UCAS or directly to a UK institution. Entry requirements vary, but with the UK’s wide range of study options, you’re sure to find a course to suit your level.


The Important UCAS dates ahead

• 30 June – closing date for international students outside of the EEA.
• 20 July – if you sent your application by 30 June, UK institutions will send their decision to UCAS by this date.
• 27 July - if UCAS receive decisions from your UK institutions by 20 July, you need to reply to any offers by this date. If you don’t, UCAS will decline offers on your behalf.

Choosing a College

When checking on a college to undertake your studies you should check that they are genuine and fully accredited. It is important to check that they are not offering bogus qualifications. Some tips to help check these colleges out are shown below.

These are some of the warning signs which may indicate a diploma mill:

• It lacks accreditation by a nationally recognized accrediting agency, especially if it is accredited by an accreditation mill.
• Words denoting a legal status such as "licensed", "state authorized" or "state-approved" are misused to suggest an equivalence to accreditation.
• The address is a postal box or mail forwarding service.
• Promotional literature contains grammatical and spelling errors, words in Latin, extravagant or pretentious language, and sample diplomas.
• Degrees can be obtained within a few weeks or months from the time of enrollment, back-dating is possible.
• Faculty members hold advanced degrees from the institution itself or similar organizations.
• Academic credit is offered for life experience, and this features heavily in the selling points of the institution.
• Tuition and fees are paid on a degree basis rather than on a per-semester, per-quarter or per-course basis.
• Prospective students are encouraged to "enroll now" before tuition or fees are increased, or they qualify for a "fellowship", "scholarship" or "grant".
• It has no library.
• Doctoral theses and dissertations are not lodged with the Library of Congress or other national repository.
• The college’s website looks amateurish or unprofessionally made.

I found that the above info is very informative(Reference). Specifically when you choosing a course the following three points needs to be carefully analysed

When choosing a college/Institution a student must check the following

1. Has the institution offers accredited courses such as edexcel, BCS,......etc  or if it is a
    Foundation/Bridging Programme then whther it is validated by a reputed university for top up

2. Has the Institution is a Accredited College by BAC or ASIC provided the level is above level 3

    To Access the List of Accredited and Premier College Status of ASIC Click Here, For BAC list Click
    here

3. Most Importantly is it a Licensed provider/Sponsor - This information is updated by UKBA

Good Luck with your Studies - Analyzer