Jaajef G-Lers,
For anyone in the UK as an overseas student or
thinking of coming to the UK to study, here is an
update on changes to the rules on overseas
students, regarding visa applications and work in
the UK.
The full text of the press release from the British
Council is available on the web at
http://www.britishcouncil.org/ecs/newsflash.htm
Scholarships
The Chevening programme currently provides
more than 2,200 new scholarships each year for
postgraduate study or research at UK higher
education institutions. This will increase in
1999/2000. Most Chevening Scholarships are for
one year Master's courses or equivalent, but some
are for shorter specialised courses lasting for 3-6
months. Candidates for British Chevening
Scholarships are selected by British Diplomatic
Missions overseas. The scholarships are
administered overseas and in the UK by the British
Council on behalf of the FCO.
Visa/entry rules
The Government is streamlining processes for
overseas students at four critical points:
* visas, in countries where a visa is required for
travel to the UK;
* leave to enter and remain, when students first
arrive in the UK;
* permission to work, for students who want to
combine study with work; and,
* better information for the student thinking of
coming to the UK.
Visas
In countries where visas for students have proved
difficult to administer easily, a new partnership is
being developed between visa offices and the
British Council's Education Counselling Service.
The British Council will give students guidance on
entry clearance requirements and will help them fill
in the visa forms, and where needed will act as
go-between with the visa office. The visa offices
are then able to process visas for bona fide
students faster, often without having to interview the
student. The partnership is now operating
successfully in India and is being launched in
China. The aim is to set up this partnership in
countries with significant education market
potential with the highest rate of student visa
application rejections.
The FCO has set a service target for visa offices,
to turn round straightforward applications within 24
hours, and less straightforward applications in no
more than 10 working days.
New guidance to all visa offices is being issued on
the key factors which cause problems for students
applying for visas.
Leave to enter and remain
Everyone who enters the UK needs leave to enter
and remain from Home Office immigration officers,
whether they come from visa or non-visa countries.
International students have experienced problems
when they are granted leave to enter and remain for
less then the length of their course, and need to
apply for extensions. The Home Office has made
two changes:
* Immigration officers have been instructed to give
leave to enter and remain for students for the full
length of their course, unless there are specific
reasons to give leave to enter and remain for a
shorter time.
* The Home Office has improved the turn round
time of applications from international students for
extensions to stay, to 2 weeks with the aim of faster
turnaround times soon.
Work
Stamps in students' passports will not change. The
formal and technical position is that students still
need permission to work, but that the Secretary of
State has given blanket permission for all affected
students to work, subject to the specified
conditions, so that individual permission is no
longer necessary.
The specified conditions remain unchanged:
- the student should not work for more than 20
hours a week in term time except where the
placement is a necessary part of their studies with
the agreement of the education institution
- the student should not engage in business, self
employment or the provision of services as a
professional sports person or entertainer
- the student should not pursue a career by filling a
permanent full time vacancy.
Students also no longer need to get permission
from the Overseas Labour Service to undertake
a work placement which is part of their course of
study or to do an internship placement.
The Home Office leaflet for students, Home office
and DfEE websites and other sources of
information for students, employers and institutions
are being revised to reflect this change. The new
Home office leaflet may not be available until July
or August.
Students can use Jobcentres to look for and apply
for jobs.
Jobcentres have been told that the Employment
Service no longer has any role in the issue of
student work permits.
Jobcentres have also been told that if employers
are reluctant to employ students without a work
permit they can issue an explanatory letter and
have been given the text of one.
Yeenduleen ak jaama
Tony
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