BENGALURU: Stressing on the fact that Brexit has not affected the number of Indian students opting to pursue higher education in the United Kingdom, British Deputy High Commissioner Dominic McAllister said that an increase of 27 per cent was recorded till September 2017 in the number of visas granted to Indian students.
“Nearly 14,000 Tier 4 student visas were granted to Indian students this year. We look forward to having more good students pursuing higher education in qualified institutions there. People continuing to see UK as a place of quality education can be directly related to more students aspiring to be there,” McAllister said.
However, London Mayor Sadiq Khan had called for a new post-study work visa for international students on Tuesday, while promoting the #LondonIsOpen campaign at Mumbai. Clarifying his statements, David Slater, Director of International Trade and Investment, London & Partners said that considering such a proposal is important for better bilateral relations between London (or UK) and India. “The more we facilitate the access for people, including students, the better it is for both the sides. The post-study work visa is a primary example of plans towards such moves,” he said.
According to data from HESA, a 44 per cent decline was recorded in the number of Indian student enrolments in the UK from 2011-12 to 2015-16 from 29,900 to 16,745. When further asked about the numbers indicating a decline, even though there are claims of an increase and about the restrictions on permitting visas, Slater said that the Mayor’s calls suggest it is time to think about what can be done from both the sides.
“We’ve got four of the top 50 varsities in the world in London and Oxford and Cambridge at the two suburbs attracting more students to pursue quality higher education and we look forward to more Indian aspirants,” he said.
