20 Pct Fall Witnessed in British Visas Issued to Indians

Indians feel that the new visa rules are hampering students who wish to study in the UK. By December 2012, there were 209,804 visas issued for study purpose (excluding student visitors), and revealed a drop of 20 percent compared with the preceding 12 months.

Further, although sponsored visa applications fell 22 percent, the change was not uniform, with a 3 percent increase for the university sector and drop of 62 percent, 69 percent and 14 percent respectively for further education, English language schools and independent schools.

As per ONS, "There was a significant decrease in the number of citizens from new Commonwealth countries like India immigrating to the UK from 168,000 the previous year to 117,000 in the year ending June 2012. This decrease is a result of fewer new Commonwealth citizens arriving to study in the UK," as reported by TNN.

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