FINANCIAL worries, lack of scholarships and stricter student visa rules have been blamed for a 25 per cent drop in the number of Indian students enrolling in UK universities in 2011/12.
The number of Pakistani students also dropped by 13.5 per cent. And a recent survey of some 3,000 international students by the National Union of Students found that more than half did not feel welcomed by the UK government.
However, international students provide a huge boost to the UK economy and cultural life. Here are five good reasons why Pakistani and Indian students should feel the love.
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1. There is no set limit on the number of Pakistani or Indian students who can come to study in Britain.
2. The UK has 12 visa application centres in India, more than any other country.
3. The vast majority of Indians who apply for a student visa get one - more than 80 per cent. Almost seven out of 10 Pakistani student visa applications were successful last year. The rejected applicants had either submitted forged documents, did not provide enough supporting evidence or did not meet the criteria as explained on the UK Border Agency website.
4. Indian and Pakistani students can work in the UK for up to six years after completing their university studies, provided they get a graduate level job.
This is through a Tier 2 General visa which is valid for three years and which can be extended for a further three years. After five years you can apply to settle in the UK if you are earning at least £35,000 a year or if your job is on the Shortage Occupation list or a PhD level job.
Once you have submitted a Tier 2 application, you can take a permanent full time job while waiting for the visa to be processed.
A separate Graduate Entrepreneur visa is also available, although only 1,000 a year are issued.
5. There are hundreds of scholarships available to Indian and Pakistani students through the UK government, private foundations and universities.
As the largest Commonwealth nations by population, India and Pakistan’s students have the best hope of securing Commonwealth scholarships.
The British government funds the prestigious Chevening scholarships and the British Council’s recently announced the largest scholarship scheme ever launched in India, with 36 British universities set to offer scholarships to 370 bright Indian students this year.
