Changes To Immigration Rules Signals End For Lower Level Courses For Overseas Students
London
By Charles Kelly
The ’statement of changes in Immigration Rules’, laid before Parliament on 10 February 2010 under section 3(2) of the Immigration Act 1971, will kill off vocational courses for overseas students.
The rule changes, which affects those applying for Tier 4 student visas after 3 March, effectively signals the end of the road for lower level NVQ and vocational courses for non-EU students.
The 10 hour working week restriction alone is enough to deter most students from choosing the UK as their place of study. Even if they still wanted to come to Britain, any affordable private colleges offering below degree level courses will not be able to sponsor them as they will not be included on the so called ‘highly trusted sponsor’ list just announced by Alan Johnson.
Only government funded colleges and universities will initially be included on the ‘highly trusted’ list, as the criteria for private colleges has yet to be decided.
The fees charged by government funded colleges will be far higher than their competitors in the private sector, which is perhaps why universities have welcomed the changes.
A typical private college charges around £2500 to £3000 for a NVQ course with many allowing students to pay by instalments.
But the same course in a government funded college will cost up to 50% more, and the institution will demand full payment in advance.
Like most universities and funded HE colleges, the South Cheshire College advertises NVQ courses for foreign students at a different rate to resident learners.
Their website quotes “the overseas student tuition fee for one academic year for the majority of our courses is at present £4500.00.”
Note that the charge is for “one academic year”, not the entire course. Therefore, if the student cannot complete the course within the nine month academic year they will presumably be charged a further £4500 bringing the total cost for a NVQ to £9000!
For not much more, an efficiently run private college could offer a degree level qualification, fully backed and awarded by a UK university. Full Statement of Changes…
Other stories: http://www.immigrationmatters.co.uk/category/news
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