Tag: VISA

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Education department opposes visa rule changes

The measure was put in place to pre-empt figures released which show that in the year to December 2022, net migration in the UK rose to a record level of 606,000…reports Asian Lite News

The Department for Education opposes the Home Office’s plans to reduce foreign student numbers, stating tuition fees can reduce costs for UK students.

Starting in 2024, Rishi Sunak’s government intends to ban international students other than those on postgraduate courses from bringing their families to the UK.  (AP)

Starting in 2024, Rishi Sunak’s government intends to ban international students other than those on postgraduate courses from bringing their families to the UK. (AP)

The Department for Education in the UK is reportedly opposing the Home Office’s plans to reduce the number of foreign students in the country.

According to a report by Telegraph, The ministerial department argued that tuition fees paid by international students can help reduce costs for those from Britain, according to the report. It said a drop in foreign pupil numbers would require either more taxpayers’ money going to universities or higher tuition fees for UK students, the Telegraph said.

Since 2017, tuition fees for students studying in England have been frozen at £9,250, according to the report.

Starting in 2024, Rishi Sunak’s government intends to ban international students other than those on postgraduate courses from bringing their families to the UK.

Informing the policy changes, Home Secretary Suella Braverman last month said, that only international students on postgraduate courses designated as research programs will be allowed to bring their family members, such as children and elderly parents, as dependants. Apart from that, the new law also removed the ability for international students to switch to work visa before finishing their courses.

She also pledged steps to clamp down on unscrupulous education agents “who may be supporting inappropriate applications to sell immigration not education”.

The measure was put in place to pre-empt figures released which show that in the year to December 2022, net migration in the UK rose to a record level of 606,000.

Indians top cross-sector skilled work visa list

Official immigration statistics released in London show that Indian nationals have become the top recipients of skilled worker and student visas in the UK. The data, compiled by the UK Home Office and the Office for National Statistics (ONS), reveal that Indians accounted for the largest number of skilled worker visas, including healthcare visas for addressing staff shortages in the NHS.

They also constituted a significant portion of students granted visas under the new Graduate post-study work route. The statistics indicate a substantial increase in skilled worker visas granted to Indians, as well as a rise in study visas for Indian nationals and their dependents.

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Indians corner highest number of UK visas

Cap reached for H-2B visas for second half of FY 2023

They also made up the largest group of students granted visas under the new Graduate post-study work route, representing 41 per cent of grants…reports Asian Lite News

Indian nationals top the tally of skilled worker and student visas issued by the UK over the past year, according to official immigration statistics released in London on Thursday.

The latest data comes days after UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced a clampdown on the right of student visa holders to bring dependent family members, limiting it only to PhD level students.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) data collated by the UK Home Office shows that Indian nationals were the top nationality for cross-sector skilled work, including specifically targeted healthcare visas aimed at filling staff shortages in the National Health Service (NHS).

They also made up the largest group of students granted visas under the new Graduate post-study work route, representing 41 per cent of grants.

“Indian nationals were the top nationality for visas in the ‘Worker’ category, representing one third (33 per cent) of grants, and were by far the top nationality for both the ‘Skilled Worker’ and ‘Skilled Worker – Health and Care’ visas,” the Home Office analysis notes.

“A total of 92,951 Graduate route extensions were granted to previous students in the year ending March 2023. Indian nationals represented the largest group of students granted leave to remain on the Graduate route, representing 41 per cent of grants,” it said.

According to the latest statistics, skilled worker visas granted to Indians rose 63 per cent, from 13,390 in 2021-22 to 21,837 in 2022-23. In the healthcare visa category, Indians registered an even higher 105 per cent hike from 14,485 to 29,726.

“There were 138,532 sponsored study visa grants to Indian nationals in year ending March 2023, an increase of 53,429 ( 63 per cent) compared to year ending March 2022 and the largest number of study visas granted to any nationality. Grants to study for Indian nationals have risen markedly since year ending March 2019 and are now around seven times higher,” the analysis notes.

“Nigeria had the highest number of dependants (66,796) of sponsored study visa holders in the year ending March 2023, increasing from 27,137 in the year ending March 2022. Indian nationals had the second highest number of dependants, increasing from 22,598 to 42,381,” it notes.

The latest data comes days after Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced a clampdown on the right of student visa holders to bring dependent family members, limiting it only to PhD level students.

“This package includes: removing the right for international students to bring dependants unless they are on postgraduate courses currently designated as research programmes,” Braverman said in a statement to the House of Commons announcing a new package of measures to curb migration.

It was widely seen as pre-emptive action ahead of the latest ONS figures revealing on Thursday that net migration to the UK hit a record 606,000 in 2022-23, up from 504,000 in the previous year and driven by a sharp rise in workers and students from outside the European Union (EU).

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UK govt promises 45,000 seasonal agricultural worker visas

London, Sept 07 (ANI): Indian-origin barrister Suella Braverman appointed UK's new Home Secretary, in London on Wednesday. (ANI Photo/ANI pic service)

The British agriculture ecosystem has traditionally relied on EU member states to thrive but tougher immigration rules and Brexit have made it difficult to hire workers from the bloc…reports Asian Lite News

In what surprised many political observers, the UK government promised to award 45,000 visas for seasonal workers in the agricultural sector next year.

The announcement was made on Tuesday despite calls from within the ruling Conservative party to discourage and reduce immigration. Official figures on immigration are expected on May 25th but British media says net migration is expected to hit a record high this year.

A day earlier, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said at a conference that there was “no good reason” Britain cannot train its own lorry drivers and fruit pickers to cut immigration.

Despite such a stance, Downing Street seems to go contrary and defended the decision to grant the visas again.

A spokesman said the current rules “provide us the flexibility to flex the system depending on UK need,” adding that Britain has a “historically low” unemployment rate.

The announcement of the visa allocation coincides with a new package of measures to support the farming industry and the government is also vowing to help the farmers who have had a hard time tackling soaring costs.

The British agriculture ecosystem has traditionally relied on EU member states to thrive but tougher immigration rules and Brexit have made it difficult to hire workers from the bloc.

The government seems to be pushing the agenda forward while providing succor to the farmers and said on Tuesday it will give farmers greater protections in future trade deals and prioritize new export opportunities.

“British farming and British produce simply cannot be an afterthought. I know that is how some of you felt in the past,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in an open letter to British farmers.

While the government at one end is announcing visas for seasonal agriculture workers, it is also exploring plans to prevent family members from joining foreign masters students at the country’s universities.

Three of the departments, the United Kingdom’s Department of Education, Home Office and Treasury are currently discussing the plan to stop dependents from traveling with masters students for one-year courses. If the plans to curb family members joining the students are materialized, students from India and Nigeria would be affected largely.

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Curbs likely on visas to foreign students’ families

The UK issued nearly 5,00,000 study visas in 2022, which was 81% higher compared to 2019…reports Asian Lite News

The United Kingdom government is formulating plans to prevent family members from joining foreign masters students at the country’s universities, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

The number of visas granted to dependents of foreign students increased from 16,047 in 2019 to 1,35,788 in 2022, according to official figures. Students from India and Nigeria have reportedly been especially likely to bring family members with them.

Ahead of the 2019 election, the ruling Conservative Party had promised to bring down migration levels. However, official data slated to be released on May 25 is expected to show that migration reached record levels in 2022, according to the Financial Times.

In this context, the United Kingdom’s Department of Education, Home Office and Treasury are discussing a plan to stop dependents from travelling with masters students for one-year courses. “Many of these courses only last for nine months,” an unidentified official told the newspaper. “We don’t think this will have a big effect on our ability to attract global talent.”

The United Kingdom issued nearly 5,00,000 study visas in 2022, which was 81% higher compared to 2019.

From June 2021 to June 2022, net migration to the United Kingdom hit record levels, largely driven by migrants from outside European Union countries. According to the Office of National Statistics, an estimated 5,04,000 more persons arrived in the United Kingdom on a long-term basis than those leaving the country.

According to Centre for Policy Studies think tank, net migration in 2022 will be 7,00,000 – more than double the pre-Brexit record.

According to new immigration figures, 490,763 students were given visas last year.

They were accompanied by 135,788 dependants — spouses and children — up from 16,047 in 2019.

Of these, India became the largest source of students with 161,000 students, including 33,240 dependents, coming to the UK last year.

The surge in legal net migration is boosting the size of Britain’s workforce but the issue is politically problematic for the prime minister. Sunak is grappling with the separate and more contentious issue of illegal migration by people in small boats coming across the English Channel.

The Conservatives are trailing the opposition Labour party by about 15 percentage points in opinion polls and last week were hammered in local elections in England. Immigration has become one of the most explosive political issues.

Ministers are now finalising plans to tackle one recent boom area for legal migration: the number of dependants who come to Britain with overseas masters students, often from India and Nigeria.

Students have been one of the main drivers of the post-coronavirus pandemic surge in migration, with almost 500,000 study visas issued by the UK authorities in 2022 — a rise of 81 per cent compared with 2019.

Students, especially those coming from Nigeria and India, have become more likely to bring family with them, with 135,788 visas granted to dependants in 2022, up from 16,047 in 2019.

The Department for Education, the Home Office and the Treasury are finalising a plan that would stop dependants from travelling with master’s students on one-year courses, according to several officials close to the discussions.

One said: “Many of these courses only last for nine months. We don’t think this will have a big effect on our ability to attract global talent.”

One minister confirmed the focus was on the dependants of master’s students, saying: “It’s clear we have to do something. We’re a long way from David Cameron’s promise to reduce annual net migration to the ‘tens of thousands’.”

The Treasury, which normally favours higher migration, has accepted the political need to restrict the number of dependants of overseas students, while Gillian Keegan, education secretary, has also agreed to the plan.

But government insiders said Keegan was insisting that master’s students should be able to bring family members to the UK if they stay to work in the country after completing their studies.

“International education is popular,” Keegan said in a speech this week. “It makes us all richer. We all benefit as we build partnerships and lasting bonds. That’s something we value hugely.”

Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at Oxford university, said that while net migration was unusually high, it would “fall over the next few years, all else being equal”, as people who recently came to the UK leave again, particularly if they are overseas students.

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All GCC expats can apply for Saudi tourist visa

Gulf residents can visit the eVisa page to apply for a tourist visa, at a cost of $80 in addition to health insurance…reports Asian Lite News

Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Ministry allowed all residents in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states to apply for a tourist visa online to visit the kingdom, regardless of their profession.

The eVisa will allow the Gulf residents to explore the various Saudi regions and perform Umrah rituals if they are Muslims, Xinhua news agency reported.

The move came as part of the Saudi efforts to provide an opportunity for the Gulf residents to visit Saudi tourist destinations, enjoy entertainment events, and explore the heritage and historical sites in the kingdom, it said.

“Saudi Arabia’s visa application is now simpler, more convenient and straightforward for residents of GCC states, regardless of their profession,” said Tourism Minister Ahmed al-Khateeb on Twitter.

Gulf residents can visit the eVisa page to apply for a tourist visa, at a cost of $80 in addition to health insurance.

Once the application is submitted, the applicant will get the eVisa by email, according to media reports.

Previously, only those GCC residents with occupations listed on an approved list were allowed to apply for an eVisa to visit the kingdom.

The transit visa for stop-over allows those in transit to enter the kingdom to perform Umrah, visit the Prophet’s Mosque, and attend tourism events. The visa is free of charge and will be issued immediately with the traveller’s plane tickets.

It allows for a four-day stay in the kingdom and has a three-month validity period, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Ministry said that the new service is available as of Monday on the electronic platforms of Saudia Airlines and Flynas and passengers can apply on the platforms and receive the digital visas in their email.

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All travelers to the UK will need pre-authorization by 2025

British and Irish passport-holders, people with U.K. settled status and those with “permission to live, work or study” will be exempt from the scheme…reports Asian Lite News

The U.K. will require all visa-exempt travelers to apply for digital travel authorization before entering the country, in a move regarded as the biggest shake-up of its border force rules in decades.

People holding passports that currently arrive in the country without pre-vetting — including European Union citizens and U.S., Canadian, Japanese, Australian, New Zealand and other nationals — will all need to apply and pay for Electronic Travel Authorisation. The scheme is set to be fully rolled out by the end of 2024.

British and Irish passport-holders, people with U.K. settled status and those with “permission to live, work or study” will be exempt from the scheme.

The government says the ETA scheme will strengthen border security and is comparable to that used by countries such as the U.S. and Canada. The U.K. has previously said that under current rules it does not have wholly accurate data on the number of people entering and leaving the country.

The cost of the ETA has not been confirmed but it is expected to be in a similar range to those schemes. The U.S. Electronic System for Travel Authorization costs $21.

The European Union is set to launch its own digital travel authorization scheme, called ETIAS, for visa-exempt nationals in 2024. It will enable travel within 30 countries.

Travelers from some countries are set to gain smoother access to the U.K. The scheme will launch for Qatari citizens in November when it will replace the Electronic Visa Waiver Scheme, and expand to Jordanian citizens in February 2024.

However, it will mark a significant change for many frequent travelers from Europe and elsewhere who do not currently need pre-approval.

Applications will be made online or via an app. Those with biometric passports will scan them using their phone, and may also need to take a “dynamic selfie,” involving movement, to submit an image of their face. They will also answer a set of questions.

Their application will be automatically processed, with a decision given within three days. Some applications will be processed more quickly. If approved, the ETA will be valid for multiple visits over two years.

Nationals currently able to use e-passport gates on arrival into the U.K. will continue to be able to do so with an ETA.

Anyone arriving at the U.K. border by air or rail without an ETA will be turned away, including if they arrive via Ireland but are not Irish or British citizens.

The government has previously said it expects to handle 30 million ETA applications a year.

It is understood the U.K. has ambitions to eventually require all travelers to submit fingerprint biometrics ahead of travel and is working on a scheme that would see this submitted by smartphone.

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H-1B registrations for 2024 to open from March 1

H-1B registrations for 2024 to open from March 1.

The USCIS will randomly select registrations and send selection notifications via users’ myUSCIS online accounts if they receive enough registrations by March 17…reports Asian Lite News

The initial registration period for the 2024 H-1B visas for skilled professionals will open from March 1 to March 17, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced.

Prospective petitioners and representatives will be able to complete and submit their registrations using the online H-1B registration system during this period.

The USCIS will assign a confirmation number to each registration submitted for the FY 2024 H-1B cap, which can be used to track registrations. The number, however, cannot be used to track one’s case status in Case Status Online, the USCIS said in a release.

All prospective H-1B cap-subject petitioners are required to use a myUSCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process.

They also need to pay a $10 fee for each registration submitted on behalf of each beneficiary.

Registrants, i.e., U.S. employers and agents will use a registrant account and they will be able to create new accounts from February 21.

“Representatives may add clients to their accounts at any time, but both representatives and registrants must wait until March 1 to enter beneficiary information and submit the registration with the $10 fee,” the USCIS statement read.

It further said that prospective petitioners or their representatives will be able to submit registrations for multiple beneficiaries in a single online session. Through the account, they will be able to prepare, edit, and store draft registrations prior to final payment and submission of each registration.

The USCIS will randomly select registrations and send selection notifications via users’ myUSCIS online accounts if they receive enough registrations by March 17.

In case it does not receive enough registrations, the USCIS said: “All registrations that were properly submitted in the initial registration period will be selected. We intend to notify account holders by March 31”.

The U.S. Department of Treasury has approved a temporary increase in the daily credit card transaction limit from $24,999.99 to $39,999.99 per day for the FY 2024 H-1B cap season. This temporary increase is in response to the volume of previous H-1B registrations that exceeded the daily credit card limit, the USCIS said, adding that additional information will be provided before the start of the initial H-1B registration period.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant work visa that allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in fields such as IT, finance, engineering, etc.

In fiscal 2021, Indians bagged the highest number of H1B visas – over 74 per cent of the allotments.

Out of 4.07 lakh H-1B visas approved by the USCIS, 3.01 lakh were allotted to Indians whereas, 50,000 Chinese received the visas.

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Braverman mulls cut to post-study student visa stay

The new Graduate Visa route, which allows foreign graduates the chance to stay on to job hunt and gain work experience may be hit…reports Asian Lite News

Home Secretary Suella Braverman is said to be on a collision course with the country’s education department over plans to cut the period of stay allowed for overseas students under a post-study visa route.

The new Graduate Visa route, which allows foreign graduates – including Indians – the chance to stay on to job hunt and gain work experience for up to two years without the requirement of a specific job offer, is expected to be cut under Braverman’s proposed review.

The home secretary has drawn up a plan to “reform” the Graduate Visa route requiring students to obtain a work visa by getting a skilled job or leave the UK after six months. The newspaper refers to leaked advice to say that the UK Department for Education (DfE) is attempting to block the changes as they fear it would harm the UK’s attractiveness to international students.

A government source who backs Braverman’s plan said the Graduate Visa was being increasingly used by students on short courses at “less respectable universities”.

“It’s being used as a backdoor immigration route,” a source told The Times.

The DfE, however, argues that the two-year Graduate Visa, often referred to as the UK’s post-study offer, was aligned with most of Britain’s main competitors, with only the US offering a one-year visa.

According to the latest statistics by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Indians overtook the Chinese as the largest cohort of foreign students last year and the new Graduate Visa route, introduced in July 2021, was dominated by Indians – accounting for 41 per cent of the visas granted.

Braverman’s proposal is reportedly among several drawn up after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asked the Home Office and the DfE to submit proposals for reducing the number of foreign students coming to the UK. Figures published last week showed there were 680,000 foreign students in the UK. The government’s 2019 Higher Education Strategy included a target of 600,000 students by 2030, which was met last year itself.

Another proposal being considered would reportedly allow foreign students to bring dependent family members with them only if they were on postgraduate research-based courses such as a PhD, or postgraduate courses that were at least two years long.

The Home Office refused to comment on the leak, but a government spokesperson said: “Our points-based system is designed to be flexible according to the UK’s needs, including attracting top-class talent from across the world to contribute to the UK’s excellent academic reputation and to help keep our universities competitive on the world stage.

“We keep all our immigration policies under constant review to ensure they best serve the country and reflect the public’s priorities.”

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Indians to get UK visas in 15 days, says Ellis

Alex Ellis (Picture Credits: Alex Ellis/Twitter)

The high commissioner also urged the Indian students wanting to pursue studies in the UK to apply for visas soon…reports Asian Lite News

The UK is now providing visit visas to travellers from India within 15 days of receiving applications, British High Commissioner Alex Ellis said on Friday. At the same time, he said a small number of trickier cases take longer time.

“Two months ago, I said that our aim was by the end of the year to be turning around visit visas from India to the UK within our standard time of 15 working days. The great news is that the team has now achieved it through fantastic work here in Delhi and across the whole visa network,” Alex Ellis said in a short video clip that he posted on Twitter.

“There are still a few cases which take longer, the very complex ones and that’s right that they do,” he added. The high commissioner described quicker visa processing as “good news”.

“You can of course use the priority visa channel if you still want. We are turning that around within five days. And finally we have a big intake of student visas for the student session starting in January of next year,” he said.

The high commissioner also urged the Indian students wanting to pursue studies in the UK to apply for visas soon.

“Please apply as quickly as you can because there is a lot of demand and for everyone applying for visas, make sure that you provide the right information,” he said.

In a reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said 1,20,987 Indian students have gone to the UK for studies until October this year.

“According to the information registered with the Bureau of Immigration, while in 2019, 36,612 Indian students went to the UK, this number went up to 44,901 in 2020 and 77,855 in 2021,” he said.

“The Government of India keeps itself abreast of all issues which may affect the well-being of Indians abroad, particularly the students. The government is not aware of any ban being contemplated by the Government of the UK,” he added.

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India to allow E-visas to UK nationals again

Vikram Doraiswami.

It is to be noted that this service was reinstated for practically all nations earlier this year with the exception of a few, notably the UK and Canada…reports Asian Lite News

Just before the upcoming winter holidays, India is prepared to resume its e-visa service for the citizens of the United Kingdom (UK) for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020. The visa website will be ready in the near future so that applicants can apply for their visa on the same, the High Commission of India in London informed.

It is to be noted that this service was reinstated for practically all nations earlier this year with the exception of a few, notably the UK and Canada.

In a video tweeted by the High Commission of India in London, Vikram K Doraiswami  the High Commissioner to the UK said, “We are rolling out e-visas once again and this service will be made available to you forthwith. (Dates will be announced shortly). That should enable friends from the UK far more easily to India. So welcome back, e-visas are up ahead and all of our other services including visa at your doorstep remain available to you. We look forward to a good winter season in which everyone gets to celebrate their festivals in India which is the land of festivals.”

The caption of the video reads, “Team @HCI_London is delighted to confirm that e-Visa facility will again be available for UK nationals travelling to India. System upgrade is underway & the visa website will soon be ready to receive applications from friends in the UK.”

In recent months, there has been a growing backlog for Indian visas as applicants lament the lack of open appointments and protracted processing times.

Earlier, it was reported that many Britons had to cancel or postpone their holiday plans to India after visa agents in the UK received notices that they could no longer apply for tourist visas on behalf of the applicant.

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