UKBA announces changes from April 2011: I predict the end of a good story…

YES NO YES NO YES: UK DOUBLE-SPEAK FOLLOWS THE REST AND MAKES LIFE HARDER FOR INDIAN STUDENTS…

Will PSW continue after April? Will it Not, UKBA? Finally UKBA releases the details and plays a cruel joke on the institutions, students and agents…

The joke actually makes us a little angry. In February, the Minister suggested that he was against the continuation of the Post-Study-Work as this was cutting into jobs for locals. There were other arguments too. He indicated that the department will go through all the submissions that had come in by then and since the submissions were in several thousand, it will take some time to go through and then announce the changes. THIS WAS THE FIRST JOKE. Why have submissions when you have already decided and you make such long speeches and statements listing almost the done policy.

Then, two days ago, there are statements made by the department that PSW will continue beyond April. Institutions, Universities, Students and Media read it to mean that the changes that are to be announced will allow the Post Study Work to continue for students. THIS WAS THE SECOND JOKE. By releasing half-information, they got the media to start putting out stories that gave a wrong impression. The institutions too gave out copies of the press release or statement and hence the information out was based on the misleading information.

The reality became obvious today when the full regulations were released. PSW will continue beyond April but will close fully in April 2012. Hence any student going to study to UK from now on cannot avail it anyway. The statement that it will continue beyond April was right but should have been made along-with the disclaimer that it will close in 2012 and post that they can move to Tier-2 visa if eligible. THIS WAS AND IS A REAL JOKE.

UKBA website informs on what is Tier-2 Visa:

What is the skilled worker category?

Tier 2 (General) is for people coming to the UK with a skilled job offer to fill a gap in the workforce that cannot be filled by a settled worker.

WHY I SAY THE JOKES ARE CRUEL IS BECAUSE, INSTEAD OF BEING TRANSPARENT AND LEADING TO A GOOD INTERPRETATION, THEY ACTUALLY PLAYED TO THE GALLERIES KNOWING THAT THE ATTENTION WAS ON THEM AND ALSO PLAYED ON THE EMOTIONS AND SENTIMENTS IN THE MARKET BY ISSUING CONFUSING STATEMENTS. I am sure that the Universities and Media and Students are feeling the same way. UKBA has right to change its regulations but not by issuing confusing statements when they know that statements are being lapped up quickly.

Look up this Financial Times article of yesterday on this link where the article begins with…

“University leaders have extracted concessions from Home Office ministers over plans to slash the number of non-European students coming to the UK every year.”

“In the biggest success for the education sector, ministers decided not to scrap the so-called “post-study” route, which allows foreign university graduates to stay in Britain to seek work. The threat to abolish the route alarmed university bosses and employers because it is cited by Indian and Chinese students as a prime reason for choosing to study in the UK rather than the US, Australia or Canada – Britain’s competitors in the lucrative international education market.”

AND now look up the full details of the regulation on this link

THERE ARE OTHER ASPECTS TO THE ABOVE CHANGES THAT WILL ALSO MAKE LIFE DIFFICULT AND SEEM TO BE INSPIRED BY THE REGULATIONS IN OTHER COUNTRIES (read AUSTRALIA):

1. ENGLISH PROFICIENCY TESTS will be compulsory but thankfully multiple tests will qualify. My assumption is that IELTS, TOEFL and PTE should be fine…
2. SPOUSE DEPENDENTS can only join the student if the student is undertaking a PG course and that too WHEN “MORE THAN” 12 MONTHS LONG. Most UK Masters and PG diplomas are 12 months or less. Hence another joke here.

Predicting that UK will lose attention of “quality students” almost immediately.

A great story is tapering off…. And time for students to once again find some sense in Australian regulation changes. Atleast they are not confusing!