Relax immigration laws, says Cambridge University VC

Stressing upon the importance of attracting best academic talent from foreign countries to the UK, Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University, opposed stricter immigration laws. “We should have the freedom to encourage the brightest students and teachers from other countries and not just for their economic value,” said Borysiewicz, who is on a 12-day visit to India.

On his India trip, the head of one of the world’s oldest universities hopes to emphasise to Indian policy-makers the importance of integrating the sciences and humanities. “Humanities make us what we are, they give us the ability to explore beauty and creativity. We should recognise that.”

Borysiewicz feels British universities should not be judged by instances like the London Metropolitan University fiasco in which even legitimate students suffered. “If a university does not meet the required criteria, I suppose the authorities are within their right to take action. But, I do feel bad for the students who enrolled in these places in good faith.”

When asked why students should choose universities like Cambridge when top class education is available in the US and even Singapore for a lesser cost, Borysiewicz said that the value of a Cambridge degree translates into enormous benefit for the students. “Parent support and ability to pay are not the deciding factors for Cambridge rather it is the aptitude of the student which comes first,” he said.

Borysiewicz rated Indian students at Cambridge as among the “brightest and the best”, expressing the hope to establish partnerships with the IITs and the National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bangalore.

The Cambridge V-C rejected the notion that the slump in the economy will have an impact on the applications from India. “I don’t see the slump in the Indian economy having a long-term impact on students seeking to study in our university. Economies recover and if India is going through a slump then you should look at Britain at this time.”

He is firmly of the belief that to encourage students, to realise their full potential, the state cannot abdicate its responsibilities although it is becoming a trend in places like India to invite private investment in education. “I am not saying the private sector should be deprived of investing in education, but it must not be seen as a substitute, rather it should be considered an additive.”

He said that though the Indian education system has pockets of excellence, “there are many unknowns as with all education systems”. He said that the three basic tenets are to ensure that students have access to opportunities, that they are nurtured in an environment of commitment and that there is a commitment to quality and excellence. “I test educational values against these benchmarks,” he said.

Source: Hindustan Times, September 9, 2012

Studying abroad: Top destinations change student visa rules

Studying abroad has become both easier and tougher, depending on the country you are looking at. Some of the world’s top study destinations for Indian students, like the UK, USA and Australia, have announced a slew of changes to their student visa regime. But these have not adversely impacted the number of students determined to get foreign degrees.

Keen on attracting serious students and the best talent, as opposed to those who come to the country looking for easy paying jobs, the UK government wants students to show evidence of a greater amount of funds to support themselves during the tenure of the course applied for. Under the Tier-IV application (general category), students will have to show that they have funds for the full course in the first academic year. To study in inner London, they must show funds of £800-£1,000 a month for a minimum period of nine months. For outer London, the limit has been raised from £600 to £800 a month. In addition, students will have to show a limit of £1,000 to be paid as deposit for accommodation and maintenance.

This is not all. From April, the ‘Post Study Work’ option will not be available to new applicants. This scheme allowed students to work in the UK for two years after they finished their studies. The British High Commission has informed that the UK government has replaced this scheme with a new programme, wherein only “talented” international students graduating from a UK university will get the opportunity to stay on and work. For this, they will have to obtain a skilled job offer from a accredited employer, with a salary of at least £20,000 per annum.

“No doubt, the hike in visa fees by UK is very high, but if you are an international student, then you factor all this in,” says Natasha Chopra of The Chopras, a New Delhi-based foreign education consultancy. “The rationale behind these changes is to stop the abuse of student visas. Students are not deterred by these changes because those who have the marks and the means will surely look abroad for higher studies,” she said. Chopra says every year the number of students who enroll to her institute for various programmes to study abroad grows 20 per cent. Students, she adds, consider various factors, such as the quality of education and infrastructure, before they select a particular destination.

“It is vital that we continue to attract the brightest and the best international students, but we have to be more selective about who can come here and for how long they can stay,” says UK immigration minister Damian Green. “In the past, too many students have come to the UK to work rather than study. This abuse must end.”

Starting April 13, the US government has also raised the visa fee for students from $140 to $160 under both the ‘Academic’ and ‘Vocational’ categories. “While there are year-on-year changes, upwards or downwards, depending on several local factors, the long-term trend of Indian students going to the US for higher education has been growing,” says Diya Dutt, deputy director, United States-India Educational Foundation. “In 2000, there were about 54,000 students from India in the US. In 2011, there were nearly 104,897. On the whole, I notice that students still do want to go on to US for higher studies,” Dutt adds. The number is only expected to increase in the coming years.

Australia, meanwhile, has eased its visa regime. From January this year, the visa fee has been decreased by five per cent. Now, the visa fee for student under the ‘Skilled (Recognised Graduate)’ and “Skilled Graduate” categories is $315, while for all other students it is $535.

Starting March 24, the Australian government has made several other changes to improve the quality, integrity and competitiveness of its international education sector and student visa programme. Australia, which had around 73,000 Indian students in 2011, also plans to introduce the Post Study Work visa from 2013, says an Australian high commission spokesperson. “Australian higher education institutions are increasingly engaging with India through joint research, joint degrees, twinning arrangements and credit recognition. Australian institutions are interested in developments concerning India’s Foreign Education Providers Bill,” the spokesperson says.

Another sought-after destination for Indian students is Canada for which the visa fee has remained the same. A study permit for Canada costs Rs. 6,125, or C$ 125. Canada has, in fact, emerged as one of the leading destinations for higher education among Indian students. Students here are allowed to apply for an off-campus work permit after six months of full-time study at a participating educational facility. Over 12,000 study permits were issued to Indian students in 2011, which is more than thrice the number in 2008.

“Around 200,000 international students choose Canada every year. More and more Indian students are seeing Canada as a destination for a world-class, globally-recognised education, at an affordable cost, in an open, tolerant, safe and multicultural environment,” says Simon Cridland, head, advocacy, High Commission of Canada.

Source: Business Standard, April 19, 2012

6,500 Indian students deported from Australia due to Visa irregularities

A recent report in Australian media about the cancellation of a whopping 15,066 visas of foreign students has caused a flutter in India. The largest number of students – around 6,500 – who now face deportation, are Indian. While the media report, which appeared in Australia’s The Daily Telegraph, is based partly on annual figures for 2010-11 published by the Australian government’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), educational consultants and experts in India are not pressing the panic button yet.

Most of them feel that genuine Indian students who comply with the requirements of their visa have no reason to be concerned about deportation. The crackdown by the Australian government, which resulted in a 37% increase in student visa cancellations over the previous year, are part of series of steps being taken to benefit international students and weed out low-quality education service providers.

Many Cases of Visa Expiry
“The visa cancellations have primarily hit Indian students in vocational education training (VET) in Australia who have violated their student visa terms. In some cases, the visas had expired rather than being cancelled. Many Indians joined courses only as a means of getting permanent residence in Australia and were not genuine students,” says Harmeet Pental, Regional Director (South Asia), IDP Education, the largest organisation representing Australian universities.

It appears that around 8,000 of the cancelled student visas were cases of visa expiry when the time period ran out. “Students need to ensure they don’t get into such a situation. Among the visas which were genuinely cancelled by DIAC, over 2,200 occurred because the students withdrew from their courses,” Pental adds.

Even as the DIAC is trying to spruce up the student-immigration process, reforms are also targeted at making things smooth for genuine students. A recent review by former New South Wales minister Michael Knight focuses on a easier visa policy for foreign students.

The Australian government has accepted all the recommendations of the Knight panel that will kick in from the first half of 2012. These include the end of mandatory cancellation of student visas for unsatisfactory attendance, unsatisfactory progress and working in excess of hours allowed. This will allow DIAC to decide cases on individual merit.

Source: The Economic Times (Online Edition), October 30, 2011

Strict UK visa rules to affect Indian students

If the UK government’s review of its visa norms was not enough to send Indian students looking at other destinations, the shutting down of institutes may bring the numbers further down. Besides, the US is getting more serious about attracting international students.

Till 2010, student visa allocation for the UK declined by 6%. In April, UK did away with the Tier I Post Study Work (PSW) visa. The UK Border Agency confirmed that changes in the student visa rules will result in fewer visa applications.

“The UK government is committed to minimising abuse of the student immigration system, while ensuring support for the brightest and best students to continue to study at UK’s highest quality education institutions. Closure of the PSW was triggered by an increase in abuse in the private education sector in the UK. It was found that there was increasing abuse in the private further education sector (by some, but not all colleges), so the reforms were targeted at those institutions where change was considered to be most necessary,” said Sam Murray, Regional Communications Manager, UK Border Agency (UKBA), South Asia.

Since May 2010, the UK Border Agency has revoked the licenses of 97 Tier 4 UK education providers. A further 36 currently have their licenses suspended, said a UK Border Agency Spokesperson in India. “The recent shut down of Training and Advanced Studies in Management and Communications (TASMAC)’s London campus last week is due to tighter visa restrictions implemented by the UKBA,” said Sameer Dua, Joint Managing Director, TASMAC group.

On March 22, 2011, the UK Home Secretary, Theresa May, announced sweeping changes to Tier 4 student route for migration. She said from April 2012 all institutions wanting to sponsor foreign students would have to be classfied as a Highly Trusted Sponsor by the UKBA and would need to be inspected by an approved educational oversight body. The UK government wants the brightest and best international students to come to the UK to study in its high quality education institutions. These changes to accreditation and inspection requirements protect legitimate students and ensure that only those education providers with a proven track record in immigration compliance will be licensed to bring international students to the UK.

“In the event that a student is already in the UK and his or her sponsor surrenders its license or has its licence withdrawn, the student will usually have 60 days to find an alternative education provider in the UK. If the student has less than six months left his or her leave will not be reduced,” the spokesperson added. UKBA in an email said it was important for international students to receive the standard of education that they deserve and have paid for. This is why the UK government, in its first stage of reforms to the student visa system, has increased accreditation requirements for sponsors and extended robust inspection arrangements to private sector providers.

“The tightening of visa requirements by Australia and the UK is making them less attractive destinations for students as they see lower prospects for future jobs and immigration. Also, budget cuts in the US public institutions are prompting them to recruit international students more actively as an additional source of revenue,” said Rahul Choudaha, Director of Development and Innovation at World Education Services in New York.

International student enrollment in higher education in Australia and the UK grew by 81% and 47% respectively between 2002 and 2009, as compared to 18% in the US. In absolute terms, Australia, the UK and US each added nearly 100,000 students over the same period. “This translates into comparatively slow growth for the US, given that the size of the American higher education system is 17 times that of Australia and eight times that of the UK,” explains Choudaha.

Some of the early reports for autumn 2011 show a significant increase in international student enrollment at US universities. For example, at the University of Iowa first-time freshmen international student enrolment reached record levels of 484 this year, compared to 388 last year. Likewise, at Arkansas State University international student enrollment for autumn 2011 passed 1,000 students for the first time. Last year 780 international students enrolled.

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) number of internationally mobile students grew by 1.6 million between 2000 and 2009. This trend will continue to be driven by the increasing ability of prospective students in countries like China and India to afford foreign higher education.

Source: Business Standard, October 13, 2011

Foreign countries get strict with student visa scheme

This year’s immigration raids on two US universities popular among Indian students—Tri-Valley in California and the Annandale campus of University of Northern Virginia (UNVA)— may have exposed the prevalence of bogus universities and student visa fraud, but the phenomenon is by no means restricted to the US alone. The UK and Australia, too, have had similar experiences. “I think that higher education globally is facing some kind of crisis—while the demand in developed nations is now plateauing, there is huge demand for education in the developing world,” says Pawan Agarwal, Educational Advisor to the Planning Commission.

Tri-Valley and UNVA coming under the scanner point to a larger conflict faced by governments of host countries: On the one hand, international students contribute billions of dollars to host countries’ economies, and provide a potential source of skilled labour. On the other hand, particularly given the recent global recession, host countries are increasingly reluctant to absorb foreign graduates into the labour market. In March 2001, Australia launched a policy aimed at providing overseas students educated at Australian universities permanent residency without having to leave the country.

But in 2005—following a steady increase in student visa applications, notably from China and India—“it became evident that the interaction between overseas student programme and the general skilled migration programme was producing unintended and problematic outcomes,” according to a policy paper.

Over the next four years, authorities noted rising rates of student visa applications due to fraudulent documents, sub-standard applications and a rash or “phoney” educational institutions. Such problems came to a head in January-October of 2009, when Australia refused admission to one-third of Indian student applicants, due to high incidence of visa fraud, according to news reports.

In April this year, the UK too ratcheted back its student visa scheme following a rash of fake universities and high visa rejection rates, imposing tougher entrance criteria, limits on work entitlements and closed the post-study work route offered to overseas students.

Source: Mint, September 16, 2011

>Ease visa restrictions for India, China: Australian varsities

>Beleaguered Australian universities have come together to plead for easing of visa restrictions for students from India and China. The two most populous countries in the world provide the vast bulk of international students to Australia. There has been a significant drop in students from India putting many self-funded Australian universities and other higher education providers in deep financial crisis.

Though the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) recently eased the visa norms for India and 37 other countries, a body representing Australian universities want more relaxations to save the third largest export of the country. There has been a call to revamp the Assessment Level system which decides the key requirements like financials and English Language requirements for the international students interested in Australian education.

Currently, students from India and China are classified under Assessment Level 3 and 4. The visa requirements become stringent as the level goes up. “Broadly, the extraordinary burden placed on high quality university students from Assessment Level 3 and 4 countries, particularly in terms of financial proof, is critically prohibitive to the ongoing sustainability of the international education industry,” Universities Australia (UA) said in a submission to the Knight Review of Student Visa Program .

The submission suggests varied Assessment Levels within countries like China and India. The need for selective Assessment Levels has been made as “in India and China if high rates of fraud and non-compliance exist in Punjab and Fujian respectively, then they should attract a much higher assessment level compared to other regions within those large countries”, UA argued in the submission to the review body.

The Universities Australia has blamed “Commonwealth” agencies for not acting in time to prevent fraudulent practices even though “the triple digit growth in 572 visas from Nepal and India (Punjab) was very obvious” in 2009-10. The subclass 572 visas were granted to students enrolled in vocational courses like hairdressing and cookery.

Source: The Economic Times (Online Edition), May 4, 2011

>Canada promises faster immigration, more student visas

>Just days before Canadian parliamentary elections on May 2, political leaders are wooing Indo-Canadians by promising less waiting time for immigration and more student visas from India. Speaking at a roundtable organized by the Canada- India Foundation (CIF) here, top leaders of the opposition Liberal Party promised a comprehensive relationship with India. They said their party government will take the bilateral ties beyond trade to increase immigration and tourism from India and foster deeper education and research cooperation.

Top Liberal Party leader and Toronto MP Bob Rae reminded Indo-Canadians the role played by his party leader and former prime minister Paul Martin in ushering in G20 to include India and other developing economies for wider consultation on global economic issues. He said Canada should focus on its core competencies in engaging with India and leverage its expertise to continue to push for stronger nuclear ties with India.

Suggesting more visas for Indian students to study in Canada, John McCallum, MP from the Toronto suburb of Markham-Unionville, said Australia was “eating Canada’s lunch” in attracting Indian students and the federal government must usher in friendlier policies on visa and work. Canada currently gets about 3,500 Indian students compared to over 40,000 going to Australia each year.

Rob Oliphant, MP from the Toronto constituency of Don Valley West, said his party had identified Gujarat as a great business destination 20 years ago. He said he was happy that the current Canadian government has recognized the importance of Gujarat by being a partner country at this year’s Vibrant Gujarat Summit. Since Canada still doesn’t have any official presence in Gujarat, he favoured a full consular office in the state.

Oliphant promised that his party government would reduce wait times for the family class immigration category from 11-13 years now to five to six years. He also said his party government would be more careful in addresses sensitive issues like the visit of union minister Kamal Nath here last year which led to protests by Sikh groups for his alleged involvement in the 1984 riots.

Bengali-origin Rana Sarkar, who is contesting for parliament for the first time from the Toronto constituency of Scarborough Rouge River, said that based on past history, his Liberal Party has “the DNA for dealing with India and now there is need for India 2.0 engagement strategy.”

Maria Minna, MP from the Toronto constituency of Beaches-East York, emphasized the need for serious engagement of the Indian diaspora for deepening Canada-India relations. Canada-India Foundation leaders Aditya Jha and Ramesh Chotai, said the Indian diaspora was pleased that the Liberal Party recognizes its role in shaping Canadian policies. Representatives of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, IIT Alumni of Canada and the Canadian Museum of Hindu Civilization also quizzed Canadian politicians about India.

Source: The Economic Times (Online Edition), April 27, 2011

>New visa arrangement will help UK attract brightest students

>The new arrangement for visas to UK will help that country continue to attract the brightest and best students, while ensuring that only bonafide and suitably qualified students enter it, a top official of the British High Commission said today in Bangalore.

“The UK and every UK education provider is reputable. The UK is committed to minimising abuse of the student route by those whose primary motivation is not to study, but to work”, British Deputy High Commissioner Richard Hyde told reporters. He said the changes announced would protect the interests of high quality Indian students but are ‘bad news’ for students, institutions and unscrupulous agents who have tried to abuse the student visa route. UK’s largest visa operation worldwide is in India, where about half a million applications were processed in 2010, he said.

Hyde said the Business Express Programme for accredited company members and Fast Track service for previous travellers are examples of how UKBA continues to work with key partners to make the visa service quicker, more efficient and effective. Applicants are advised not to submit forged documentation or false information with visa applications. Those who do risk a 10-year ban on all visa applications to UK. Applicants do not need an agent to make a UK visa application as all information is available on websites free of charge, he said.

Source: The Economic Times (Online Edition), April 12, 2011

>Australia lowers international student visa assessment levels

>Australian government has lowered the visa assessment levels for International students from 38 countries, including India, under which they would now be required to provide less documentary evidence to support their claims for the grant of visa. International student visa assessment levels were lowered for 38 countries including India across one or more subclasses from April 2nd this year, according to official statement released recently.

In 2009-10, there were 270,499 student visas granted across the seven subclasses, with 382,710 student visa holders in the country as of 30 June 2010, of whom 80,450 were from India, 80, 010 were from China and 21,720 were from South Korea. The assessment levels are periodically reviewed and adjusted to reflect changing immigration risk outcomes. Following the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) review in 2010, the government has decided to implement changes to reduce some student visa assessment levels.

A student visa entitles international students to come to Australia on a temporary basis for a specified period to study at an Australian educational institution. “Prospective students and their families, agents and education providers should be aware that these changes will lower the minimum evidentiary requirements needed for the grant of a student visa for the selected countries and education sectors,” a DIAC spokesman said in the statement.

“However, the reductions to assessment levels do not change the likelihood of a former student in Australia obtaining permanent residence. While many international students apply for permanent residence when they complete their studies, this is an entirely separate process and there is no guarantee that, on the basis of having held a student visa, a person will meet the requirements to be granted permanent residence,” he said.

The skilled migration programme is designed to meet the needs of the Australian labour market and strengthen the economy. Requirements for permanent skilled migration will change from time to time and there is no particular course that guarantees a permanent visa.

“Students should not make educational choices solely on the basis of expecting to achieve a particular migration outcome, because the skilled migration programme will continue to change and adapt to Australia’s economic needs,” the spokesman said.

Applicants will be required to provide less documentary evidence to support their claims for the grant of a student visa. These may include evidence of English language proficiency, financial capacity and academic qualifications.

Source: The Economic Times (Online Edition), April 6, 2011

>US Tri Valley University visa scam tip of an iceberg, says probe report

>A visa scam at Tri Valley University (TVU) in California, that has affected hundreds of Indian students, is just the tip of an iceberg and a large number of such institutes exist in the US, a probe report here has said. “Other colleges — most of them unaccredited — exploit byzantine federal regulations, enrolling almost exclusively foreign students and charging them upward of $ 3,000 for a chance to work legally in the US,” said the report released by Chronicle of Higher Education.

Such educational institute flourish in California and Virginia, where regulations are lax, and many of their practises — for instance, holding some classes on only three weekends per semester — are unconventional, to say the least, the report added. “These colleges usher in thousands of foreign students and generate millions of dollars in profits because they have the power, bestowed by the US government, to help students get visas,” it said, adding while these institutions are well-known among Indian students looking to work full-time, they have managed to go mostly unnoticed in the US.

In more than a dozen interviews to Chronicle, students at these institutions say that an American degree, any American degree, will help them get a better job or earn a promotion back home, the report said. “They say they choose these unaccredited colleges for their flexibility, their low cost, academic quality and because of the recommendations of other students from their home region. In online forums, students are more blunt: What they actually talk about is who will let them work ‘from Day 1’,” it said.

According to the report, Homeland-security officials say they are not blind to the existence of other Tri-Valleys, although they wouldn’t comment on, or even confirm, current investigations. “They concede that regulations governing foreign-student employment are vulnerable to exploitation. These areas are ripe for abuse,” said a top administrator with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which monitors 10,300 schools and colleges that grant visa documents.

“We look very closely,” it said. “Officials say that the agency is doing the best it can, given its resources and authority. An increase in Sevis fees — the system is entirely self-financed — will support the creation of a new enforcement unit focused solely on school and college violations and allow for the creation of a 60-person team of regionally based liaisons to act as contacts and more closely monitor colleges on the ground,” the report said.

According to a federal complaint filed in a California court in January, the TVU had helped foreign nationals, mostly Indians, illegally acquire immigration status. The university is said to have 1,555 students. As many as 95 per cent of these students are Indian nationals. The university was closed on charges of massive visa fraud.

Source: The Economic Times (Online Edition), March 24, 2011