Education, Careers & Professional News
UK Student Visa Fee Up By 136%
UK Student Visa Fee Up By 136%
We want international students, we want them not - that seems to be the United Kingdoms dilemma. UK Visas, which looks after immigration issues for the Home Office, is considering increasing the initial student visa fee by 136%, from 36 to 85. The increase will affect the cost of student visa for those from outside the European Union.
There are at present some 15,000 Indian students in the UK. The number is expected to rise further this year; trends would put the number at 19,000. It is the new lot that will be affected by the proposed hike. The next Parliament is expected to decide on the issue. If approved, the hike will come into effect in July.
The increase in visa charges according to UK Visas is to meet the increase in administration expenses resulting from greater demand. Official estimates show a 15% year-on-year increase in demand for visas. The Home Office has given universities and colleges time till April 30 to respond. The fee to extend student visas has been doubled already. Universities and colleges in the UK have registered their objection.
The protest is being led by Universities UK, an association of vice-chancellors. They contend that foreign students are being used as cash cows. Foreign students contribute nearly 10.2 billion a year to the UK economy and 4 billion to higher education.
Universities in the UK were expecting an increase of 20% in overseas student over the next three years, as against a 4% increase for domestic and EU-based undergraduates. This would translate into a 44% rise in income from overseas fees, from 1,125 million in 2003-04 to 1,621 million in 2007-08.
UK Visas maintain that the total cost of a three-year UK degree is more than 30,000. A visa fee increase of 49 represents only a 0.3% increase in overall expenses. Universities are not impressed by this calculation.
Given the increased competition for foreign students, an increase in visa fee will affect their ability to attract students. More importantly, loss of foreign students would affect the finances of UKs higher education institutes. For some time now, international students have been crucial to the finances of most higher education institutes.
Universities in the UK have cause to worry, as their government seeks to increase visa fee, competitors like Canada and Australia are taking measures to grab a larger share of the foreign student pie.