UK launches new student immigration system

The UK government has announced the go-live date for the student tier (Tier 4) of its new points-based system for migration. From April 1, the Moldovan students looking for visa to study in the UK can apply through the new points-based system which will streamline the student visa application process, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting the press service of the British Embassy in Chisinau. Under the new transparent system, students will need to prove that they have been accepted into a course run by a UK Border Agency licensed education institution and that they have the means to support themselves, and supply their biometric details at the British Embassy in Chisinau. If granted a visa, the new regulations allow international students to undertake part-time work up to 20 hours per week, full time work during the holidays as well as any course related work placements. “This major aim of the initiative is to implement a simpler and more transparent system,” said John Mitchell, the Deputy Head of Mission of the British Embassy in Chisinau. For the first time, all independent fee-paying schools, colleges and universities that want to accept international students to study with them now need a license to do so. This will help the UK Government crack down on bogus colleges, something which will be welcome news to many Moldovan students, who can now be sure the language school, college or university they intend to study at is an approved educational institution. So far over a thousand UK institutions have signed up to sponsor international students. Applying for a General Student visa or a Child Student visa under Tier 4 is a simple process and should be done in the country of which one is a national or a legal resident. The applicants need: a current passport or travel document; a visa letter from the institution they are planning to study at; proof of maintenance funds; evidence of any qualifications the sponsoring institution took account of when deciding to accept the applicants for the course they plan to study; any other supporting documents relevant to the application. Students looking to study in the UK for six months or less, and who do not wish to take any employment while they are in the UK, or to extend their stay while they are in the country, can enter the UK on a student visitor visa.