Sharp Decline in Indian Students in the UK

Since 2010, there has been a sharp decline in Indian students going to the United Kingdom for study, reveals the latest statistics released by London First and Price WaterhouseCoopers. The report said, "Since the 2009-10 academic year, the number of international students from India has fallen by 50% whereas the number of international students from China has increased by more than 50%." It says that non-EU international students has brought £2.8 billion in revenues to the UK from London universities alone. And the revenues coming from Indian students had been hit during the last 5 years because of the 'unwelcome visa regime'. The falling percent in Indian students is bothersome for the UK government, because they are the second-largest foreign students group there. However, much has not been done in the direction to restore the trust of Indian pupils. One reason that lead to this sharp decline is ending the Tier 1 (Post Study Work) visa option. And the other is a very short span of time between their graduation and visa validity, limiting the scope of finding an employer who would sponsor their stay in the UK. The common myth that led to strict immigration and visa rules is that foreign students become a burden on public services. However, the report also put light on some facts. It said that while students contributed £2.8 billion of their own money, they used only £540 million of public services. The UK has also introduced Medical Surcharges for people staying more than 6 months. Most foreign students fall under the bracket as their stay exceeds 6 months. So students paying Medical Surcharges would mean an extra expense in their higher education and a little more revenues to the UK government, that would go for development of NHS. Source: The Times of India For more news and updates on immigration and visas, please visit Y-Axis News.