Starting March 2010, United Kingdom is set to implement a more stringent student visa guidelines to prevent “abuse by economic migrants” under its new Points-Based System of Migration, based on earlier announcement by UK Home Affairs Minister Alan Johnson.
The initial announcement outlines broad measures resulting from a comprehensive review of the Tier 4 scheme as initially relayed by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown in November 2009. In the Ministerial Statement/Notes released by the UK Home Office, the UK Government announced the following modifications designed to achieve “a balanced and targeted package of measures to tackle the abuse of Tier 4 by economic migrants whilst at the same time continuing to safeguard the ability of genuine international students to come to the UK to benefit from our world class education system and bring benefit to our economy.”
- Students will only be allowed to work during the school term for 10 hours a week instead of the present 20 hours a week
- Students registered in courses of six months or less can no longer bring dependants with them to the UK
- Students’ dependants are not permitted to work unless they qualify in their own right under Tier 1 (General) as a highly skilled migrant or as a skilled worker under Tier 2 (General worker, sportsperson or Minister of Religion)
Recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani said the changes may place in uncertainty the status of about 10,000 Filipino health workers, most of whom are nurses, who entered UK from 2007 to 2009.
Majority of these health workers availed of the study-and-work plan offered by various consultancies and are presently taking awards, certification and diploma courses, also known as National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ).
Geslani, however, said that despite this, Filipino students from all fields may take advantage of taking a one-year degree in the UK. This will allow the students to stay and do paid work for up to two years without studying further, which will in turn lead to securing a work permit.
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