Tougher entry criteria, limits on work entitlements and the closure of the post-study route are among the latest changes to the UK student visa system announced on Tuesday.

UK Border Agency regional director Chris Dix on Wednesday said students going to the UK for a degree will no longer be allowed a two-year timeline to look for job opportunities after their course ends. This is one of the major changes to the UK immigration policy. The Tier-I (post-study work) route will be closed from April 2012.

Dix said so far students had free access to the labour market for two years after their course ended and it allowed them to do low-skilled jobs.
According to the new rules, only graduates with offers of skilled jobs from sponsoring employers will be able to stay on for work, provided the jobs match their skill-levels. Further, the salary offered by a company would have to be a minimum of £20,000/year. Dix added, “The firm has to be registered to accept overseas workers in the Tier-II point system.”

Overseas study specialist Amrit Sujan said, “The new rules are not likely to affect Indian students who go for the academic experience.” But a foreign university representative in India said the new rules may have a negative impact.

Also, the English language requirement has been changed to a higher level (from B1 to B2). This change will come into effect from April 6.






Keywords: Tier-II point system,UK student visa,UK Border Agency,UK immigration policy,low-skilled jobs,Overseas study specialist,academic experience,English language requirement