UK introduces new visa rules for Indian students

London, Mar 31 (PTI) Britain Tuesday introduced a new
visa regime for Indian and other students of non-European
Union countries to prevent fraud and to provide for more
stringent immigration checks.

Home secretary Jacqui Smith said the new arrangements as
part of Tier 4 of the points based system will make the visa
process simpler, more objective and more transparent for
applicants and prevent abuse of the immigration system.

From Tuesday, all British education providers (schools,
colleges, universities) who recruit international students
need to be registered with the UK Border Agency.

More than 2,100 universities, independent schools and
colleges have applied to be licensed sponsors. The
institutions are responsible for ensuring that international
students comply with the conditions of their visas while
they are in the UK.

Before a student makes a visa application, he needs to
ensure that he has an unconditional offer of a study place
from a licensed education provider.

The student also needs to show that he has sufficient
funds to cover course fees and living costs during his
studies. The student will be issued with a visa for study at a
particular institution, and for the full duration of his
course if degree level or above. PTI PS
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