Tier 4
Police Registration
International students and workers, particularly in London, have been experiencing long waiting times in order to register with the police within seven days of their arrival in the UK as required.
Following complaints and lobbying a temporary process has been put in place for foreign nationals in London who are required to register with the police giving them the option of having their registration form stamped and then return at a later date in order to complete the process. Applicants will be given a covering letter to accompany their completed, stamped form and this will act as evidence that they have attempted to register with the police, in line with the requirements of their visa. The Metropolitan Police will keep a copy of the applicant's form and the applicant will have until 31 December 2012 to return and finalise their registration.
Craig Calhoun, the new head of the London School of Economics, and other British vice-chancellors have been lobbying the government over the requirement for overseas students to register with police within seven days of arrival.
Fall in international student numbers
There has been a notable drop in the number of international students coming to study in the UK.
Some courses at universities in the Russell Group have seen a 30 per cent drop in applications from Indian students.
The impact of stricter new visa rules, as well as negative publicity following the revoking of London Metropolitan University's licence are believed to be the primary causes of the decrease.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/foreign-students-spurn-uk-universities-after-immigration-curbs-8206130.html
London Met loses International Students to rivals
The Guardian newspaper has reported that London Metropolitan University has lost half of its International Students to rival universities despite the reprieve by the UK Border Agency.
Only 626 of the remaining 1,385 remaining students given the option to stay chose to do so. 55% of students have either found a place elsewhere or have abandoned university study.
A student support fund of £2m was set up to help those financially disadvantaged by the visa scandal.
Tier 1 and 2
Investor Visas
Top London private bankers have expressed concern over the increase number of wealthy foreign investors applying for permanent residence in the UK.
These investors obtain the right to stay in the UK by investing at least £1m in gilts or shares and bonds in British companies.
Recent Home Office figures show that more than 400 people applied to use the investor visa scheme in the 12 months to the end of June, compared to 331 applications in 2011 and less than 200 in 2009.
There has been a significant increase in applicants from Russian, Chinese and Middle Eastern investors.
The UKBA Independent Chief Inspector is launching an inspection of and inviting comments on Tier 1 of the Points Based System including Investors and Entrepreneurs.
General Immigration Matters
Bulgarian and Romanian Nationals
Significant delays continue to be experienced in the processing of work permit and other applications by the UKBA. In mid-October, the UKBA reported that it was processing applications received in January 2012.
These countries currently have restricted rights to come to Britain since they joined the EU in 2007, but those limits end on 31 December 2013 and are expected to lead to a surge in migration from these countries.
Border Agency and Police to jointly target foreign criminals
An immigration official has been deployed in each of London's 72 custody suites to work with the Metropolitan Police in targeting arrested foreign nationals.
Operation Terminus will last for six months.
A briefing note, circulated on Friday, assured that this operation would not change the Metropolitan Police Service's (MPS) relationship with the general public.
However, there has been criticism from refugee and migrant representatives who fear that the MPS will behave as an arm of the Border Agency. Politicians have asked for more information abut how the MPS will keep itself distinct.
Croatia to join the European Union in 2013
The government has introduced the European Union (Croatian Association) Bill to Parliament in anticipation that Croatia will join the European Union (EU) on 1 July 2013.
This bill includes transitional arrangements introduced to restrict Croatian nationals access to the UK labour market.
The Home Office has published a Statement of Intent setting out these transitional restrictions, which it expects to apply to Croatian nationals working in the UK after 1 July 2013.
The full Statement of Intent and Impact Assessment can be downloaded here.
Temporary concessions for Syrian nationals
From 15 October 2012, Syrian nationals with temporary permission to stay in the UK will have additional ways to extend their stay in the UK, including:
- If an applicant is here on a visa for a limited period they can ask for this to be extended for the same length of time as they were originally granted.
- They will be able to switch visa categories from inside the UK.
Veristat Services
Admissions Service
In response to requests from clients, Veristat has launched a new Admissions Service for schools, colleges and universities to ensure that student applications meet UKBA requirements. The service can be continuous or as additional support to cover short term, peak periods. We offer a full menu of options from which clients can select the services that meet their requirements. Examples include:
- Review and approval of all admissions documentation pending CAS issue.
- English language (SELT) and NARIC checks.
- Checks for previous refusals and study.
- Academic progression
- Rules relating to length of study
- Chasing missing documentation
- Finance checks
- Issuing CAS as Level 1 or Level 2 user
For further information, please contact us at enquiries@veristat.co.uk.
