It’s no more a cheaper affair for the foreign students to pursue education in the UK. A foreign student who seeks to apply for the Tier 4 visa is required to show enough funds for their education fees as well as their living cost. The cost of living has also increased by 24%.
Until a student has a job in his/her hand, they had to return back home after completing their studies. Both the changes will commence from 12th November.
Indian students who are currently pursuing education in the UK would find difficulties like increase in costs and job restrictions. Students from India constitutes as the second biggest group of foreign students. According to the UK’s Agency for Higher Education Statistics, total number of Indian students who were studying in the UK was 19,750 in the year 2013-14.
For course of more than nine months period, a foreign student who applies for the visa shall require to maintain fund of around 11,385 pounds for the institutions that are based in London. And for institutions outside of London, student requires around 9,135 pounds. For the short duration courses, the monthly cost of living are estimated around 1,265 pounds in London, and around 1,015 pounds are required for outside of London.
The provision that allows the student with their presence in the UK for meeting the lesser needs would also be removed from 12th November. In future, bachelor students who wish to start masters would require holding the same funds level as required for the new student in the UK.
The cost of living should be in place when a student applies for a visa, it requires being cash deposit. If in case the relative based in the UK wants to help the foreign student, then the money towards cost of living shall be transferred to student’s or their parent or guardian account. Proof of same requires to be submitted when a student applies for the visa.
There’s another big change, the foreign student who had completed its studies would not be allowed to extend their Tier 4 student visa, nor would they be allowed to switch to scheme of points based like Tier 2 skilled worker visa without first leaving the country. This change will not affect the foreign students who had completed their degree in the UK and wished to start masters course, and also to those who had managed to obtain a job while staying in the country.
