UK suspends Nepali student visa applications

UK suspends Nepali student visa applications
ekantipur, 31-Jan-10

Britain has temporarily suspended new student visa applications under the “tier 4 Point Based System” from Nepal after a sharp rise in applications, the British Embassy in Kathmandu said on Sunday. The move will not affect applicants in other visa categories.

The embassy informed in a statement that it has stopped accepting applications from Monday onwards and the suspension will be reviewed after a month.

The embassy did not release figures, but it is estimated that the number of applicants have gone up dramatically in recent months after Britain introduced tier 4 Point Based System in March last year. Under this system, students wanting to pursue further studies in Britain do not have to show source of income or property evaluation.

British officials said the move was a response to the unexpectedly high number of student visa applications from South Asia.

The suspension of visa applications also follows recent media reports of unscrupulous use of the student visa to settle in the UK. Only last week, Britain suspended at least 60 UK-based bogus institutions.

Chris Dix, Regional Director of UK Border Agency (UKBA), said in the statement that the suspension would allow UKBA to continue to scrutinise applications thoroughly and to manage the visa process efficiently for all customers in Nepal.

The appointments of Tier 4 visa applicants at the visa application centre in Kathmandu have also been suspended from Monday until the UKBA begins the process.

This move will badly affect educational consultancies for whom Britain is the main source of business. Of late, Britain has emerged as the main education destination for Nepali students, overtaking the US and Australia. Ministry of Education data show that 4,200 students get ‘No Objection Letter’ from the ministry every month. In the last two months, 6,000 students got the letter from the ministry.

Educational Consultancy Association of Nepal (ECAN), the umbrella organisation of educational consultancies, said the move would have a negative impact on genuine students who wouldn’t get there in time for their courses.

“It is not good to suspend the application without prior notice as it will adversely affect applicants, who have already made appointments at the visa application centre in Kathmandu,” said Uttam Pant, president of ECAN. He fears the suspension will not be reviewed anytime soon.
Rising number of students going abroad for higher studies means more money flowing out of the country.

Nepal Rastra Bank data show students studying abroad, including Britain, have taken away Rs. 12.12 billion from the country in the last fiscal year. And, in the first four months of the current fiscal year, Rs. 5.59 billion flowed out of the country for this purpose. The availability of sterling pound was also affected by increment in the number of students leaving for Britain. According to a banker, shortage of sterling pound still exists in the banking system