UK extends study visa pilot to 23 more Higher Education Institutes
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The UK Home Office has extended a pilot scheme for streamlining the visa application process of international postgraduate students. Extended to 23 universities across the United Kingdom (UK), the scheme has been launched only after a successful first stage at four universities.
Brandon Lewis, the immigration minister was quoted, "This is a clear indication that genuine students are welcome and there is no limit on the number who can come to study in the UK". According to him, the scheme is expected to be rolled out soon extensively to those universities that can demonstrate high levels of compliance with the visa regulations.
Here's what you can expect from the pilot scheme:
- The process will aim to make Tier 4 visa applications more upfront and hassle-free
- As part of the process, prospective Master’s students will have to submit fewer documents
- The scheme will include the provision of greater support for students wishing to pursue post-study work in the UK. This means that students will be offered assistance in switching visa type
- Students will also be allowed to stay back for a period of six months after graduation and look for jobs
The 23 universities to be added to the pilot scheme are:
- Cardiff University
- Goldsmiths University of London
- Harper Adams University
- Newcastle University
- Queen’s University Belfast
- The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
- University of Bristol
- Durham University
- University of East Anglia
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Essex
- University of Exeter
- University of Glasgow
- University of Leicester
- University of Liverpool
- University of Manchester
- University of Nottingham
- University of Reading
- University of Sheffield
- University of Southampton
- University of Wales Trinity St. David (Swansea Campus)
- University of Warwick
- University of York
The pilot for these 23 universities will be enabled in the 2018-19 session. According to reports, the reason behind choosing the above universities is their low visa refusal rates in their area or region.
Since 2016, only four Universities - the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Bath and Imperial College London have been able to offer this pilot process to students.
The University of the West of Scotland has five modern and diverse campuses in United Kingdom. The University has welcomed more than 3,000 international students which are representing 1/3 of the globe. They also have 130 European partners who are actively in global study and exchange options through the Commonwealth universities programmes. The University also offers study abroad opportunities for UWS who are eligible for the same and also have more than 20 transnational education partners worldwide which helps them deliver UWS Bachelors and Masters Degrees around the world.
International students whose first language is not English must meet the English language requirements. Students can submit their IELTS/TOEFL/PTE test score to meet the English language proficiency. Bedfordshire accepts overall IELTS score of 6.0 with minimum 5.5 in each element.
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The application process at the University of Manchester can change depending on course chosen and level of study. The steps to apply for undergraduate and postgraduate courses at the university are given as follows:
UG Application Process:
Check out: tips to improve your SOP.
PG application process:
To make your admission better, check out the following: How Admission Officers Evaluate your application.