14 DAY TRIAL // According to the British Home Office, more than a quarter of all colleges in the country that currently enlist foreign students for classes do not have a legal authorization to do that. Before sponsoring international students, each of these learning institutions need to have a written approbation from the UK Border Agency, which regularly approves youngsters that will come to learn in the UK under the country's new point-based system.
Appalled by these finds, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has said in a statement that she will do everything in her power to stop these so-called colleges from functioning. The official has added that “dodgy colleges” accept applications from students that simply do not have the grades that they need to meet the nation's point-based system. Statistics show that, out of the 2,100 foreign exchange students that applied for a stay in the UK, some 460 have been rejected as not having the required grades.
Smith underlines the fact that foreign students make for a more culturally diverse country, and explains that she will continue to welcome legitimate ones from around the world. But the official has been clear on the fact that authorities will begin a campaign of identifying and eliminating the colleges that do not play fairly on the “scene.”
“These new measures make sure people who come here to study – and the people who teach them – play by the rules. This new tier of the points based system allows us to know exactly who is coming to the UK to study and crack down on bogus colleges. I have made it clear that I will not tolerate either the fraudulent applicants trying to abuse Britain's immigration rules, or the dodgy colleges that facilitate them. However, Britain will always welcome legitimate students who are coming here to receive a first-rate education,” Smith shares.
Just recently, the British government has decided to extend the maximum Tier4 visa for foreign students from 4 to a maximum of 6 years, in a move that has been widely applauded. “This will be particularly helpful for medical students. We also welcome moves to make the system simpler for institutions and students,” Smith concludes.