UK's tightened visa rules to hit Chinese students

Chinese students will have fewer options when applying to study or work in Britain as the country tightens its visa restrictions.

London has introduced strict new measures to clamp down on bogus educational institutions, as well as the use of illegal workers posing as students.

By the end of 2012, only colleges accredited as "highly trusted sponsors" by the British Ministry of Education will be allowed to accept international students, Sebastian Wood, the country's ambassador to China, told press in Beijing on March 24. Institutions without the status are often private colleges providing "pathway" courses, he says.

According to reports by the BBC, Britain has a long-standing problem with bogus colleges, which are set up to get around visa rules. So far, 64 institutions have had their right to sponsor overseas students withdrawn.

"The new rule is to make sure only genuine institutions recruit students and only genuine students obtain study visas," Wood says.

The new policy will also dampen Chinese students' employment prospects. The government will no longer issue post-study work visas, which allow degree graduates to spend a further two years in the UK to find a job.

Instead, they will get just four months, while only those who find jobs paying 20,000 pounds (23,081 euros) a year can apply for work visas.

Wood explained that it means work as waiters or petrol station attendants will not be an option for Chinese wanting to stay after graduation.

Beijing education experts predict the new policy will affect Britain's appeal in the market.

Students who use pathway courses to go to the UK will be affected, says consultant Liu Shubin at Beijing Huaheng Education, "but I don't think students who have good scores and want to study there will be influenced".

However, the new regulations mean that for the first time the UK Border Agency will require students to verify that their English is above upper intermediate level (B2), which equates to 5 or 5.5 in the International English Language Test System.

Those who cannot speak English without an interpreter will be refused entry by the agency.

"Many students end up failing courses due to their poor English ability, which is important for students who want to study in the UK," says Wood.

According to Home Secretary Theresa May, Britain aims to reduce the number of overseas students it receives - roughly 80,000 - by one-fourth.

The British embassy in Beijing issued 43,000 student visas last year, an increase of 20 percent on 2009. More than 90,000 Chinese currently study in the UK, with about 70,000 working toward undergraduate degrees or above.