London Mayor Urges UK Govt to Offer Easier Visa Rules for Indian Students

The number of Indian students arriving in the United Kingdom has gone down over the years, from a peak of almost 24,000 a year in 2010-11 to around 9,000 a year in 2015-16, the report added, citing the London Mayor’s office. The fall is mainly due to the
perception issues prevalent in India.

In June this year, the UK government omitted India from the list of 25 countries that would benefit from the relaxation of the Tier 4 visa rules for overseas students. While nations such as the United States, Canada and New Zealand were already a part of the list, the UK Home Office added other countries like China, Bahrain and Serbia in the category that enables students to face less checks on educational, financial and English language skill requirements to pursue higher education in the United Kingdom. The new countries added to the list were considered low risk places.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged the UK government to reconsider its stand on granting visas to Indian students. India should be added to the list of low-risk countries that were recently offered easier norms for student visa application

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