Britain cracks down on student visas

By Kim do-yeun

Since the announcement in April that Britain would be cutting back on granting visas to non-European students, more than 470 colleges have lost their license to sponsor international students.

The British Border Agency has investigated hundreds of colleges in an effort to better control what Home Secretary Theresa May called an "abused immigration system," which migrants have been using to work rather than study in the country.

Approximately two-thirds of the non-European migrants entering Britain each year are students.

There had been a growing number of visa applicants from South Asia, and the investigation claims to have found that some institutions were providing immigration services rather than credible academic programs.

The British Home Office says that the new regulations, including tightened rules for student qualifications, were aimed at ensuring that institutions were meeting the standards for sponsoring international students and that they could actually speak English.

A limit has also been implemented on work permits during study, as well as visas for family members of students.

It is reported that an estimated 11,000 people may have been blocked from entering Britain with a student visa in the past six months.

The writer is a Korea Times intern.