The United Kingdom is planning to tighten student visa requirements further to ensure that this route is used for education, not as a doorway to immigration, the Home Office has announced.
The new measures proposed by the Home Secretary and Education Secretary include increasing financial maintenance requirements, although they did not mention how much it would be raised, VisaGuide.World reports.
At present, overseas students are required to have £1,334 ($1,700) per month (for up to nine months) for courses in London and £1,023 ($1,300) per month (for up to nine months) outside London.
As further noted in an official statement, the government is also reviewing English language assessments to make sure that all international students properly understand their course materials.
Tougher Compliance Standards for Institutions
Under the proposed measures, the UK also plans to introduce stricter submission criteria for institutions recruiting international students. Moreover, the recruitment agents will be subject to improved control, as noted by authorities.
Those who accept international students who then fail to pass our visa checks, enrol or complete their courses will risk losing their sponsor licence.
UK Received 30,000 fewer Student Visa Applications in Q1 of 2024
In recent months, the UK has tightened immigration rules, including the student visa requirements.
In January 2024, the government implemented a new policy preventing international students from bringing their family members to the UK. This measure has been reflected in the student visa application figures, as indicated in the official statistics.
More specifically, the UK received 30,000 fewer such applications between January and April 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Moreover, the number of student-dependent applications witnessed a 79 percent decrease.
Although overall migration figures decreased, Home Secretary James Cleverly considers that additional measures are necessary to tackle the potential abuse of student visas.
We must go further to make sure our immigration routes aren’t abused. That’s why we are cracking down on rogue international agents and building on work across government, to ensure international students are coming here to study, not work.
The above-mentioned measures are part of the Home Secretary’s strategy to lower legal migration. As a result of new policies introduced in 2024, the UK saw a 25 percent drop in the overall number of visa applications.