Visa costs deterring students, say universities
Plans to raise the cost for student visas could deter students according to Universities UK.
Visas for students from outside the European Union are set to increase from £36 to £85, ostensibly to cover increasing administration expenses.
But Universities UK claims that the 138 per cent increase indicates that students are increasingly being seen as “cash cows”.
It says the news forms a “triple whammy” when considered alongside proposals to double the cost of international student visa extensions to £500 and remove the right of appeal on visa decisions from international students.
The Foreign Office’s visas department said the changes need to be implemented because of increasing demand and an influx of foreign students looking to study in the UK.
But universities are unconvinced by those motives and warn that the UK’s higher education system could suffer as a result of the price hike.
They warned students could be put off studying in Britain, meaning universities and students will lose out on the cultural diversity brought by different nationalities mixing on campus.
A spokeswoman for Universities UK also criticised the department’s timing of the changes, which were announced in the midst of the general election and gave education bodies only until April 30th to respond.
“There are no MPs to talk to about this issue, so it is difficult to express our views properly,” she said.
“Universities are already finding it hard to attract overseas students, in what is an increasingly competitive market. This will make it worse.”
