UK rejects 9% of student visa applications, figures show

The UK higher-education sector has expressed concern that the government is making it harder for international students to obtain visas, as figures show an average of almost one in ten visa applications have been rejected over the last two years.

Figures provided by a Home Office minister in response to a parliamentary question show that the government has rejected an average of 9% of student visa applications over the period from April 2013 to April 2015.

Times Higher Education reports that UK universities have seen a substantial increase in the number of visa refusals on grounds of “credibility” in recent years. There are also concerns that the government is seeking to restrict overseas student numbers via other administrative measures, including raising the minimum level of English required for a visa, and introducing stricter rules under which educational institutions are licensed to sponsor visas.

The UK government has committed to cutting immigration figures, and there are concerns that the competitiveness of British universities may be damaged as a result. Louise Richardson, the new head of Oxford University, recently warned that the country would be “impoverished” if international students find it too difficult to obtain a visa.

Arnaud Chevalier has written for IZA World of Labor about the benefits of international student mobility. In his article, he writes that: “To expand the skilled workforce, countries need to attract skilled migrants. One way of doing this is by attracting and retaining international students. Empirical evidence suggests that concerns about brain drain—that is, the emigration of highly qualified workers—are overblown and that student migration can positively affect economic growth in both sending and receiving countries.”

Read more on this story at Times Higher Education.

Related article:
How to attract foreign students by Arnaud Chevalier

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