Another story posted on the page. We agree completely- the new Tier 2 system is a joke and Universities who try to promote it to international students as an alternative to PSW should be ashamed.
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Hi I would like to share my story, I completing my degree from Nottingham Trent University in Computer Systems Engineering, During my academic years, I had gain distinction and scholarship, was offered a placement in a multinational company during my gap year.
So, I went through couple of interviews during last two months, some of the company showed interest in me, but when I told them I am international student, they didn’t want to undergo into the hassle of sponsoring and stuff and this is now most common, most of them expected me to get PSW, which is obviously closed. At last, I made through final interview with one company, which actually offered me a job and willing to even sponsor. They offered salary around £27000 annually which seems to be looking nice and I taught, I am gona make it to Tier 2 work permit. But company later on refused to sponsor as it was a graduate level job but the salary requirement in code of practice is 28K and they cannot offer me more than that.
Unfortunately, this is not the case and this what most of the International Student don’t know, I will explain the reality, and if you have close look in to it its highly now impossible to get a job in UK, only 1 out of 10 will make into tier 2.
To be eligible for into tier 2:
1. Get a job offer.
2. Once you have job offer match it with code of practice given on UKBA website and see which appropriate job description closely match with the job offer you have.
3. Compare the salary of that job given in code of practice with the salary offered to you. If greater and job code is in NFQ Level, Your luck u can be sponsored.
But in most of the cases average graduate salary is between 20000 to 24000 whereas most of the salaries advertised in code of practice in UKBA for sponsorship are over 25000 and 28000, IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE, pick a few jobs from job site which you think u can qualify and then try to match the job description and salary and you will see results by you self.
I have nearly spend £50000 for my education in UK, I guess without UK experience I will definitely struggle to find a good job anywhere around the world. NOW I am towards completion of my degree and to be honest, I have no joy or proud to get a degree from UK because at the end, I have no job no money, I don’t think so a piece of paper will do any good, the struggle starts again. Yes, I am very much de motivated and demoralized by unfair and ruthless decision made by Home Office officials.
Even the UK universities have not shown any single reaction against these unfair policies not even considering, the huge amount of investment each International Students brings to this country and the city they live in.
So, As a result, 20 odds perspective students who want to study in UK are now going to USA or Canada to pursue higher education which means loss of £20x 2000 each year to UK economy. So, ALL we asking are work experience for at least two years which should be given change to explore our talents and get some practical experience, without UK WORK EXPERIENCE UK DEGREE IS NO GOOD.
Switch into Tier 2 Requirements:
1. UK recognizes degree.
2. Jobs needs to be at graduate level not your degree
3. Minimum 20000 and appropriate salary in code of practice
4. Labor Market Test Exception. (NO GUD because salary requirements are too high)
So, I am now moving to some other country for further studies at least not spending single penny in UK, all other international students’ needs to think about their future.
http://www.myspace.com/582998775/music/playlists/lenin-and-lionel-1-4782133
We made this myspace page because a lot of people here in Belfast who hear us perform in the pubs told us we would go places since they love our music. My brother and I are Engineers and musicians, studying Master’s in Music Technology and sonic arts in Queen’s university, Belfast. We have been getting job offers almost every week because of our Engineering experiences, but most companies in belfast can’t sponsor visas. The one’s that are allowed to sponsor visa (like deloitte) have offered jobs, but new rules stated that they have to pay us 4k£ more than locals as per London standards, which they cant, and is not fair. This rule wasn’t in place when we came here, and so it should not be applicable to us. So we get the job, but the UKBA changes rules so that even if the company is willing to sponsor they have to be a lot more, and in belfast with lower costs of living and pay, its impossible. About our music experiences (we have been representing In India across Italy, spain, portugal, france, germany, south korea, sri lanka, Russia now UK and Ireland, all of this since 2007. We even made it to the QUB’s got talent top 5 where judges like Keith Duffy (from boyzone) was convinced we would win the competition. We are trying to make a documentary too, after exams probably dont know if it will shape up. for now we’re composing and recording songs with irish musicians and americans in the university studios. I will send you the music once they are mastered if you want to give it some hearing. but for now, I have put some of our own music on my space. Apart from all this, there is constant support from the nothern irish people, here in this part of the UK who would not be happy if we would be sent away, also they condemn those laws.
I’m a first year Iranian student studying Particle Physics and Cosmology.
I’ve lived here in the UK for almost 4 years, I did an English course for 9 months then A-levels for 2 years and I’m currently studying at university. During the last 3 years I’ve had to renew my visa twice which was unimaginably stressful and tiring. My dad’s had to work twice as hard just to help me pay the very expensive tuition fees and living expenses which I think is very unfair considering that EU students pay the same price as British students.
Every time I’ve applied for visa I’ve been treated like a criminal, just because I was born in Iran. The police registration just to keep track of you wherever you go and wherever you study, the eye scan, the application asking people from “High Risk” countries if they’ve ever engaged in a terrorist act and so on.
I’ve chosen not to visit my family because I’ve heard stories from Iranian students coming back to the UK and being treated like criminals and I can’t stand being disrespected and treated like that. The last time I saw my family was summer 2009. My mum has been trying to visit me but they won’t grant her visa although my dad has a 5 year visa. I haven’t seen her for almost 2 years. Since the embassy in Iran is closed she had to apply through the UK embassy in Abu Dhabi which is always busy with inconsiderate people working for them, it is said that any Iranian who is granted visa from there is the luckiest person.
The first time she applied, there was a mistake in her application (very minor) and they accused her of lying and she was banned from making an application for 10 years! We had to hire a lawyer and they’ve contacted the embassy in Abu Dhabi. The embassy said that they made a mistake and she can have her visa but after that respond they haven’t been replying to our emails. It’s been almost 3 months and nobody’s caring. The lawyer said we can sue them but that would cost a lot of money.
I miss her, all I want is to see her even just for a month. I’m not asking a lot, as someone who has paid all her finances and is an excellent student I think I have the right to see my mum and want to spend some time with her.
Sorry for all the whining but I had to get this off my chest and you lot seem to be the only people who listen.
NUS INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS’ CAMPAIGN SLAMS SHORT-SIGHTED STUDY AND WORK VISA POLICIES
For immediate release - Friday 6 April 2012
New restrictions on international students’ rights will hurt higher education and the UK economy, the National Union of Students’ (NUS) International Students Campaignsaid today (Friday).
The comments comes as the Home Office closes the Post-Study Work(PSW) visa programme, which allowed recent UK graduates to continue working in Britain for two years after completing their degree. Whilst the overwhelming majority of international students return to their home countries after completing the degree, a minority wish to remain in the UK and apply the skills they’ve learned here while building a career*.
Under new rules, students would only be allowed to stay in the UK if they secure a job earning £21,000 a year or more, approximately the national median income. A new route for entry into the UK has however been created: students with entrepreneurship plans will have access to a new kind of visa.
According to the British Council, international students bring an estimated additional revenue of around £9 billion to the UK economy***.
Daniel Stevens, NUS National Executive Committee member said:
“These new restrictions will not only hurt higher education and international students themselves, they will also hurt the UK economy and the diversity of our communities.”
“International students are being targeted for purely political reasons as part of the Government’s effort to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands, but these knee-jerk reactions threaten to do lasting damage.”
“The Australian government attempted a similar programme in 2008 which resulted calls from universities, colleges, businesses for international students to return and a reversal of the policy. We should learn their lesson.”
“The Government urgently needs to take students out of a net migration debate which has become dangerously simplistic and short-sighted. We need a change course in which the real value of international students is recognised.”
ENDS
* The Migrant Journey, Home Office, 2010, p.7 Fig.3
http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/horr43c.pdf
**The NUS International Students’ Campaign have launched a social campaign called “Share Your Story” to paint a narrative about how the new rules are affecting international students. The campaign’s Facebook page is located at http://www.facebook.com/IntCampaign.
In the run up to the changes, NUS International Students Campaign have launched “Share Your Story”, which encourages international students to relate their experiences of bureaucratic barriers to getting the most out of their UK education. Over 1,450 international students have already engaged with the campaign with many sending in their personal stories**.
One student said he had missed his uncle’s funeral because the UKBA held his passport for weeks. Several mentioned the minor mistakes on visa applications which meant entire applications had to be redone and the visa fee repaid, costing thousands. Another discussed a friend who had to refuse a job and return home because his visa was rejected on trivial grounds. A SOAS student told us a company reneged on her job offer when they learned she was an international student. An American single mother told us how she could no longer bring her young daughter to the UK whilst she did her postgraduate degree.
***British Council, Global Value: The Value of UK Education and Training Exports, 2007 http://www.britishcouncil.org/global_value_-_the_value_of_uk_education_and_training_exports_-_an_update.pdf
I’ve been living in the UK now for four years. I first studied at Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland and received a 2.1 BA in International Politics. I decided to further my studies and this year I am studying a Masters at LSE in Human Rights. My original student visa issued in 2008 was valid for four years. I’m not certain why they decided to give me an extra year as my first degree was only three years long. However, I didn’t question this at the time. When I arrived in London for my Masters, the Immigration Office at LSE also questioned my visa, but assured me that since I still had a legal status, everything would be ok. Seeing as I already have a degree from a UK institution and work part-time, I was one of the lucky ones who could apply for the post-study work visa before they are cut in April. I had all of my documents prepared and had sent away for my visa. However, my grandfather passed away in America and I needed to urgently withdraw my application and get my passport back to fly home. When I returned to England, I submitted my application again. However, my bank statements were now more than a month old by two days. I had to fly back to Belfast at an added expense to get more bank statements that had an official stamp. Everything was extremely stressful and contingent on paperwork that had to be dated exactly. I have sent away for my visa, but I am still extremely nervous. There is no information provided by the UKBA about the ending of the post-study work visa and this transition period. The UKBA are notoriously picky about dates, but seem to have provided absolutely no help or information about their own dates and what applications will be accepted. I am extremely disappointed in the help I have received from my institution and from UKBA. Everything is very unclear and ambiguous. Now is the time to start applying for jobs, but as I am still uncertain if my visa will be granted, and so I am not sure which box to tick regarding the ‘right to work’. The lack of communication from the UKBA regarding the processing times of applications is appalling, leaving the applicant very nervous and uncertain.
Immigrating to the United States at the age of 4, I have become all too familiar with immigration procedures within the States and on an international level. The realities of immigration policy are one that friends around me rarely understood, or even bothered to concern themselves with. I wonder sometimes, had I not held my Sudanese passport would I care?
I have come to value my Sudanese nationality and am constantly emboldened by immigration procedures that force me to feel otherwise. I have often felt in
limbo, as many diaspora might feel. My non-citizenship status only comes to mind
when I wish to engage in initiatives that fellow students around me are pushed
towards as well: Study, travel, explore. Only then do I realize that I do not qualify
for federal aid. Only then do I realize that I must obtain visas for almost every
travel destination my friends and I wish to explore. Only then do I realize that I
must obtain permission to leave the country and come back. Only then do I realize
that everything I learned growing up and all the aspirations I share with my fellow
classmates are not on equal playing fields.
For eight years of my life I never left the United States (the majority of my family
is still in Sudan, and so we used to travel at least twice a year to visit). During this
time I was approved for a status allowing me to work and live in the US, under the
condition that it was to be renewed every 1-2 years. The process of travelling and
gaining permission to leave became tedious and off-putting. It wouldn’t be until
eight years later that I would no longer view myself as a victim and muster up the
courage to get an immigration lawyer and seek to better understand my rights to
travel as a legal non-citizen living in the US.
I remember the first time I applied for my United Kingdom visitor visa. Never had
I found such ease and joy in obtaining anything of the sort. And as was the second
visa and the third after that (all 6 months with multiple entry!) It is a bit strange
to get excited about gaining permission to move freely throughout the world,
especially for my American friends who had yet to obtain a passport themselves
(this was something I often pestered them about; their lack of appreciation of their
free ticket to the world: an American passport). You never really appreciate or
understand this free movement unless the right has been taken away from you.
I guess what I want to say is, we are all human in the end. We aspire for so many
of the same dreams, we wish to travel for various reasons, to be with family at the
whim of our desire, and to choose freely where we want to work and live. How can
such constraints be placed on this freedom? What really gives anyone the right to
place restrictions on my freedom to move?
Today I carry my Sudanese passport with pride. I take the secondary airport checks with my head held high and am no longer disheartened by the suspecting glares I receive. I have learned to live within the system, but at what point can we say enough is enough?
My perception of UK immigration was a bit shattered since I have moved here.
Choosing to abandon my US status, under the assumption that I would have the
opportunity to gain my masters in addition to a two-year work permit, I was
enthused about the prospects of furthering my career aspirations. My family has
invested much in my education, and my MSc currently being pursued is the icing
on the cake. I gave up a lot to be here, and now as my year draws to its end I worry that if I do not immediately find a job what other option do I have but to move to a country I left 21 years ago, one that I barely know, and one where I will continue to live in limbo?
It has become tiring explaining my American accent and Sudanese passport to
everyone I meet. People are always so shocked, but that is simply because too many of us are completely ignorant of the realities that surround immigration policy
globally and in our own backyard. Not many of my friends are aware of my current
situation (I suppose because I have felt the situation to be utterly belittling). I was
denied a visitor visa to the United States recently, because my interviewer said I
had established strong ties to America and a wish to immigrate. This notion was
in reference to my mother living in the US and my approval for an eventual green
card, which of course could be granted to me tomorrow or in 8 years. I often wonder how she felt at the end of her day. How she was able to cope denying someone, who was just 4 years short of being as American as her, the right to go home over the Christmas holiday is beyond me. I do not want to believe that we have become so desensitized to all of this.
The United Kingdom was the first country that I really felt welcomed me with
open arms. It was as if the entire country (or I guess, more reasonably, whoever
the immigration officer looking over my paper was) had faith in that my presence
in the UK would be a positive one. This is something that is so dearly appreciated
when you have experienced so much negativity surrounding an aspect of your life
that was completely out of your hands (and in saying this, one that I am more than honored to have). I still have this inkling of love for the UK because of this, and I still wish to hold it high on the immigration totem pole. I am optimistic that the UK will aspire to be a beacon of hope for some many of us which it has already given hope to. After all, optimism and hope is what has gotten me this far.
Keep truckin’ dear friends
Keep it global
I am here on a tier 4 working on my masters degree, I am a “non-traditional” student in that I am over 30 YO. When I was accepted I was informed that the rules had changed in July and I would no longer be allowed to bring my daughter since my course was not over 365 days (I am short about 20 days). I have sole custody of my daughter, being a single parent with a child who has type 1 Diabetes, I chose to go to UK because I could get my degree in one year as opposed to 3 years staying in USA. So for that privilege I had to sacrifice time with my daughter I will never get back. I am still so angry with UKBA for splitting us apart because they made a blanket rule. I am a USA citizen and WOULD NEVER stay here past my visa time, it would be stupid! She will come visit me but it is not the same. We have never been apart more than 2 weeks. So was wondering if there were any other people that had this problem??
Hi, I’m Helen, and I’m from South Korea. I’m a first year student at UCL studying Law.
To start off with, I am an international student by UK immigration standards. I’ve had to obtain a 3 year student visa in order to study at UCL. I also pay international fees, which are triple what the EU and Home students of the 2011 cohort pays.
However, what is a little different about me, compared to most of you here is this: I have been living here for 9 years. That’s right, I came to the UK in January 2003, and studied in primary and secondary schools up until now. And they still consider me an international student. As a result, I have had to renew my student visa every couple of years, paying the expensive independent fee-paying school fees (because if you come to study before 16 years of age, you have to go to a fee paying school) and the visa renewal fees (which did continuously go up every few years!).
I know that the recent changes in Tier 4 and PSW schemes don’t directly affect me, but I just wanted to rant about the overall immigration law considering non-EU nationals, and highlighting the unfair price we all have to pay.
The truth is, there is a huge number of immigrants in the UK. If you live in London, you will notice it straight away. If you live in the provinces like Kent (where I used to live), there are not many immigrants. In fact, it is quite hard to see a non-British face, although that is changing as well. The British are alarmed at the pace their home and surroundings is changing, and I daresay they have the right to feel that way. It’s not xenophobia- it is simply one of the consequences borne out of globalisation, and it does take some time for people to get used to.
But I have a qualm with the British government trying to squeeze every last penny out of non-EU nationals before telling us to depart the country.
The core of the immigration problem lies not with a couple of bad non-EU students who use it as a means to illegally enter the country (and they are often caught out or not allowed in the country in the first place), but with EU and Commonwealth nationals. They have a much relaxed immigration rules applying to them, and from my experience, people from the Commonwealth countries are the ones much more likely to settle here permanently than non-EU students. Every single one of my friends from Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Japan and many other countries tell me that they want to go back home after a few years worth of training/internship. For law, it is a necessary for us to obtain a training contract, otherwise we will not get any opportunities for a job.
I despise the fact that I am still treated as a foreigner despite having lived here for 9 years, and I am now worried that I won’t be able to get a job because I need a work permit to do so. I am aiming to apply for a permanent residence permit next year, but there are rumours that the 10 years continuous residence requirement will change, and I am praying that it doesn’t change. It used to be the case that you could stay for 5 years straight before applying for one. This is one of the things in Britain that more than irks me. It is frustrating and painful. The government has absolutely no right to tell me that I don’t belong here, or I haven’t integrated here fully- I have more friends in the UK than I do back home, and although I’ve lived here with my mum for the duration of my education in schools, I speak fluent English (and I’ve been told that I have a very British accent on the phones, and they are surprised I am not British!). And although there are not many like me, I know they all feel the same way, one way or another.
Now, I don’t understand why they are not embracing international students. In America, in Holland, in Singapore and many other countries welcome international students. They have grants and scholarships available for international students, and the immigration laws are not as tight and not so fast-changing like here. They seem to recognise that in order to study and work here, we have to spend money as well. We pay the rent, the fees, food, drinks, clubbing etc. which in the end comes back to the British from direct income and VAT. The VAT rate is very high, a lot higher than back home, and other tax rates are high too. This should mean that the more people spend the better it is, and the faster they will be able to escape the doldrums in the economy.
But no, they decide to kick us out once we have finished our studies. They blame us for the failure of multiculturalism (no it hasn’t failed, but that’s another story) and leeching off the economy. It leaves a very sour taste in your mouth once you have friends who have to miss out on freshers’ and orientation week, and possibly even more, when they haven’t got a visa on time because of stricter rules and slow visa processes. I theorise that the overall inefficiency and delays in the immigration rules due to the amount of paperwork we have to submit. I am lucky to be born in a ‘low-risk’ country, but I can imagine the pains of getting a police certificate and interviews for others.
This simply cannot go on. I’ve had to put up with this for the past 5 years when they really started to amp up the immigration law. You can’t just declare that all apples are bad because of a few rotten apples in the same box; you just throw them out, and make sure that it doesn’t happen again.
It’s a right shame that they are denying access to a great education here, and I would not trade my 9 years of living in the UK for anything else. However, when I eventually return to Korea to my family in the next couple of years after working here, I don’t want to leave feeling that I’ve been hurriedly ushered out. That’s just rubbing salt in my wounds.
An International student spends an average of £20,000 a year to study in the UK. However this was considered a worthwhile investment, because we believed the rewards was an invaluable “ first class education and an opportunity to practice this through WORK EXPERIENCE” an incentive which was offered to us by the UK Government before we arrived her country.
However this has now been taken away from us without a good reason. Of what value is an international degree to me when I go back home I ask myself? I feel I have invested in vain; I remain on the same level or even a lower position than the students who schooled back home with home universities with international curriculum. It is a well known fact that work experience triumphs over any degree… it is in my opinion for that it is pointless to have an international degree without the work experience. I feel cheated in terms of the value and worth of my “International Degree” I SHOULD HAVE INVESTED IN SOMETHING BETTER. We have all been sold a product for which our guarantee has been taken away and even more upsetting that our opinions might not count.
Does anyone feel that these measures are put in place to ensure that Britain continues to drain Billions of pounds from poorer countries in university fee’s whilst not giving them the opportunity to work and get the skills needed to go home and develop their motherland? I wonder how many young bright international students would have improved the third world upon returning had they had the opportunity to work for a few years before returning. Im English born and Bred but feel very angry at many of the policies of the government and I dread to think where the country is headed and even where the world is headed. Such oppresive policies will only return to bite us in the back
Please show your support for schools across the UK who are struggling against the unfair and damaging immigration policies of the current British government. International students are valuable contributors to our economy and our education system, and by labelling them as “migrants” rather than students the government has created a media myth that students are coming and taking British jobs!? Ridiculous!!
At the Islington Centre for English, we would like to see the UKBA targeting bogus students and colleges and not arbitrarily reducing student numbers. Constant rule changes affect students, universities, the economy and, of course, the UK’s reputation as the World’s top destination for an international education. We urge the UKBA to target illegal immigration NOT STUDENTS! Students are the perfect temporary migrants - they come in, spend lots of money during a recession, enrich our cultural life, work cheaply for local businesses and then go home and trade with the UK with the added benefit of cementing English as the world language of commerce. A classic win, win!
The answer? We urge the govt to implement a targeted approach to countries with differing histories of immigration compliance and to actually deport those students who are breaking the terms of their visas. Our message to the Government: Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Good luck all at LSE.
I am from Pakistan currently studying my post graduate course at Brunel University London. My course is going to finish in September of 2012 and my university has a Highly Trusted Sponsor license.
I came here to study and after finishing my course just wanted to gain international work experience in my relevent field which seems like it’s not going to be possible due to the recent changes in the student immigration policy. (Closing of Post-Study Work Permit) I have the potential and strong desire to acheive success in my career but as defined by the Government only the brightest and the best would only have the to right to remain in UK after april 6 2012.
As an international student I think it is very difficult to decide who the brightest and the best among many individuals are. I know the current employment situation is not in favor of graduates from all over the world in UK. But some graduates get graduates roles right after their degree and some graduates have to do struggle for a bit. Does that mean that they are not brightest and best?? I really appreciate the concern over student immigration policy by the UK Universities. Also i would like to say on the behalf of all non-european and european students that we understand the student visa abuse in UK and it shouldn’t be appreciated as it brings the negative effect on the UK’s Economy and as well hurts the image of potential international students who come here to study and to gain internation exposure after the completion of their studies by following the policies in a right way.
I am not here to claim benefits in UK, I just want an opportunity to be a successful professional. Just want to share some facts infront of you mostly students from all around the Pakistan and other Asian countries pay around £13000 to £25000 in their fees excluding their living expenses and they come here just because they know they would get post study work visa after their degree’s and it should be the right of international student. Bogus colleges should be banned and the owner’s should fined maximum and what i guess only degree level students from the HTS institutions should be allowed to stay in the UK after their degree to cut the Visa Abuse from the system. I understand this fact that most of the colleges offer courses to international students who wants to enter in UK by using student visa and once they get here they dont go to college and the colleges did not take action against them. I want to stay here after my degree only by following the right way, which is going to be closed by the government of UK in April 2012.
Let’s all up and leave and within no time - they’ll beg us to come back. Analyse the value of everything here in the U.K and you’ll be shocked, there’s nothing to this place. Yet they insult and mistreat us who’ve funded their economy while adhering to their absurd immigration rules not to mention exorbitant visa fee’s and ridiculous monetary limits.