UK claims small growth in number of Indian students
Sunday, 03/11/2013
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LONDON: Indian student numbers in the UK increased slightly this year after visa restrictions imposed by the David Cameron government led to a 30% drop in the last two years.
Christopher Snowden, president of Universities UK (UUK), an umbrella organisation representing all British universities, told HT “we have turned the corner”.
Student numbers from India dropped 15,000 in the last two years after the post-study-work visa was abolished. The visa was used by students to recover some of the expense of their mostly self-financed courses. The visa was abolished to curb immigration, a major political issue.
Snowden, who is also the vicechancellor of the University of Surrey, said, “There are still many opportunities to work after completing studies, provided the student gets a job with at least 20,000 pounds as annual salary. There is now a better understanding of the visa regulations in India.”
The UUK, he said, asked the Cameron government to remove the negative perception created in India and other countries by the visa regulation changes. He also mentioned Cameron’s India visit earlier this year and said there was no cap on international student numbers.
“The student numbers from India are beginning to recover. We realise there was considerable misunderstanding in India about the visa changes”, Snowden said.
India sends the second highest number of students to British universities every year — 29,900 — after China, which sends over 78,000 students. Britain holds 13% of the international higher education market while the US has 16.5%.
