UK immigration: More curbs on student visas come into effect

LONDON: As part efforts to curb abuse of student visas, new restrictions announced by the David Cameron government on working while studying and bringing students' dependent to the UK have come into effect.

Home Office research shows that the student visa route is often abused by people from India and other countries from outside the European Union for entry into the country for work rather than studies.

The new restrictions came into effect on July 4. More restrictions are scheduled to come into effect from April 2012, including the closure of the post-study work visa, which currently enables non-EU students to take up work for two years after completing studies in a UK university.

The new rules include restrictions on work entitlements to migrants studying at higher educational institutions and publicly funded further education colleges only.

So far, even those studying at private intuitions were entitled to work.

Immigration minister Damian Green said: "(The) student visa system isn't up to scratch - it has failed to control immigration, failed to select the brightest and best and failed to protect legitimate students.

The primary motivation of too many users of the student immigration system is not to receive a high-quality education but to live and work here instead".