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[freeofgreed]

http://www.economist.com/news/brita...ng-life-harder-foreign-students-hasta-la-visa

Since the turn of the century the number of foreign students in Britain has more than doubled (see chart). In contrast to Britain’s overall immigration trend, growth has come not from Europe but from the rest of the world. Chinese students are by far the biggest group, numbering 89,540 last year, up from 47,740 in 2004. The steep fees paid by non-EU citizens have made higher education an important British export. By one estimate foreign students contribute £7 billion ($8.6 billion) a year to the economy in fees and living expenses.

Yet in the past few years the growth has stalled. To find out why, visit any student common room. An American PhD student at Cambridge University complains that acquiring a visa for her doctorate was more onerous than when she studied in Britain a decade ago. This time she had to list every trip she had taken outside America since the age of 18. Applicants have to prove they have more money than they used to: £9,135 in the bank plus their tuition fees, up from £7,380 last year. And the government has introduced an annual “immigration health surcharge” of £150. The doctoral student says she gets e-mails almost weekly from the university citing new requirements it faces with regards to its foreign students.

The government has also removed provisions that allowed students to stay on after graduation to seek work. In 2012 it abolished a visa which allowed those who had completed degrees in Britain to remain in the country for two years without the firm offer of a job. The withdrawal of this perk put off many South Asian students, thinks Ruth Owen Lewis, director of the international office at Aberystwyth University. The number of Indian students, which soared from 14,625 in 2004 to 39,090 in 2011, has fallen to 18,320 since then.

Other countries spy an opportunity. Australia and Canada, popular alternatives for Asian students seeking an English-language education, offer (limited) chances to stay and work, making them attractive destinations. Australia has simplified its student visa system to boost its appeal. Germany is offering more courses in English. And since 2014 public universities there have largely abolished tuition fees, including those for foreigners. This month the Irish government revealed plans to encourage more foreign students. “Everybody is doing the exact opposite to us,” laments Ms Owen Lewis. While the number of foreign students in Britain has stalled, in other countries it is zipping up. In Australia it increased by 11% last year.

Nor does the crackdown look politically necessary. A YouGov poll last year found that students were the most popular group of migrants among voters, three-quarters of whom thought their numbers were about right or should be higher. Even supporters of the right-populist UK Independence Party were keen on them. Reducing immigration in general will hurt Britain’s economy; barring fee-paying students is a particularly damaging way to do it.

As someone who studied in the UK in the past. This is disappointing to hear. Seems like the UK is going strong in the anti-immigration route in aspects it doesn't even need/would be detrimental to.

 

[painey]

as someone who studies internationally in the USA.. everything looks the same, if not less complicated that studying here.

 

[Dougald]

The financial requirements have always been pretty crazy here. I know a guy who nearly lost his working visa a few years ago because the balance in his bank account dropped £1 below the minimum of several thousand pounds for ONE day

Dude earns six figures and pays loads of tax, but they tried to ship him out of the country due to a quid

 

[freeofgreed]

as someone who studies internationally in the USA.. everything looks the same, if not less complicated that studying here.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1107551

 

[Empty]

"britain's economy is going to roar outside the eu. our science and engineering innovation will thrive unshackled from unnecessary eu regulation and bureaucratic oversight."

*all our universities have to massively cut back research and training because we no longer have huge revenue from high fee paying foreign students*

"bring back the royal yacht"

 

[Shiggy]

Not affected by the changes, but did any EU students have problems before? I always thought that studying in another EU country is extremely easy and know lots of friends who went for another country to do their master's degree.

 

[freeofgreed]

Not affected by the changes, but did any EU students have problems before? I always thought that studying in another EU country is extremely easy and know lots of friends who went for another country to do their master's degree.

The article is specifically focusing on Non EU students. Although soon it'll apply to EU students as well I guess.

 

[Shiggy]

The article is specifically focusing on Non EU students. Although soon it'll apply to EU students as well I guess.

I know, i know. As long as they are in the EU, there shouldn't be many issues I think. Just wondering.

 

[Makonero]

I studied for my master's in the UK and it would have been awesome to have been able to stay and find work, but alas, since I couldn't find a sponsored job I was going to be kicked out at the end of the calendar year. I found an internship back home in the USA and made my way back across the pond a bit sooner than I had wanted to.

A real shame that the UK is becoming even more hostile to foreign students. It's hard enough to live in a different country and pay vastly more than UK citizens.

 

[ItIsOkBro]

~$30,000cad in the bank just to study in the UK lol

 

[Bleepey]

This shit should benefit me being a Londoner but I still find it weird.

 

[Showaddy]

The UK government is currently making life harder for all students, fees are looking to go up across the board again even after they tripled not long ago. Being foreign has nothing to do with it if I'm honest, we're all in this shitfest together.

 

[Lego Boss]

"britain's economy is going to roar outside the eu. our science and engineering innovation will thrive unshackled from unnecessary eu regulation and bureaucratic oversight."

*all our universities have to massively cut back research and training because we no longer have huge revenue from high fee paying foreign students*

"bring back the royal yacht"

Fucking LAWLZ. This is exactly what is happening to our universities. It's really one of the few success stories that we can boast of and we are royally shafting it.

I love the UK.

 

[jrush64]

Studied in the Uk too, Loughborough uni. Not surprised to hear this. They abolished the psw while I was there and was unable to get the visa.

Moved to America for masters. At least I have time to look for a job.

 

[Acorn]

Last year May wanted to make it impossible to work at all whilst being a foreign student too. Can't recall if it happened.

Always been a case of you gotta have a Rich Daddy and/or Mummy. Fucked up.

 

[etrain911]

I thought about studying in Australia or the EU for my master's/PHD in psychology after I graduate this year, but the requirements to get into programs are so vague (Australia requires a 3 year degree at a college sponsored by their national psych committee but doesn't have any listings of international schools). It is already really hard to navigate without the inane requirements.

 

[Zaph]

I attended a Bloomberg conference recently about tourism and spend in the UK, and foreign students were a big part of it. The status quo is absolutely maddening in so many ways and a lot of money is being left on the table.

We have very wealthy families spending a fortune to send their child to a UK university (particularly the Chinese), and yet their parents can't even visit them because our visa system is archaic and loaded with unnecessary red tape (even compared to other western European countries). The hassle and amount of information required is absurd - especially related to income.

Naturally, multiple sectors have petitioned the government for years to overhaul the system, but it's getting no play because our government is too cowardly to table anything that might appear like we're inviting more foreigners.

So once again the UK loses out on free money because of xenophobia.

 

[SuperInuit]

yeah I thought my fees were extortionate till I learned the foreign students I live with pay £12.5k per year.

It's shite for UK students, but it's worse for anyone else. really don't understand why it costs so much to go to uni, when they haven't had a total improvement since raising the fees.

 

[GameAddict411]

The UK is getting more and more inhospitable for foreigners. It will come back and bite them in ass when their economy collapses.

 

[dreamcastmaster]

Why are forign students choosing to study in the UK and not another country?

 

[Dougald]

Why are forign students choosing to study in the UK and not another country?

Good universities and the English language, really.

My University was so popular with Chinese students even 10-15 years ago that they had an entire dormitory building

 

[freeofgreed]

Why are forign students choosing to study in the UK and not another country?

They do.

The UK is an attractive option because it has really good schools, even within Europe it's considered to have some of the best schools. Also it's an English speaking country.

But as the article points out other countries like Canada and Australia are starting to rise in popularity.

 

[hohoXD123]

The UK has a habit now of shooting itself in the foot for no reason at all.

In addition to this, Jeremy Hunt is going to increase the tuition fees paid by international students in order to partly fund the £100m for the new home medical student places he is hoping to create. Bear in mind that international students currently pay around £35k per year in their clincal years.