Why Crackdown On Student Visas?

(Monday, 08th February 2010 issue)
Reports monitored by this paper from London have revealed that the British government plans to introduce changes in regulations that would keep thousands of foreigners from getting Students Visa. The question we have with regards to this, is why the crackdown on Student Visas?

One may wonder what might have prompted the British government to think of such a plan.

The Daily Telegraph reports that the government has been discussing the changes for three months. It further quoted the Home Secretary Alan Johnson of saying that the Points System that was earlier introduced had already cut down on the abuse of the system.

"We remain open to those foreign students who want to come to the UK for legitimate studies - they remain welcome," Johnson said last Saturday.

"But those who are not seriously interested in coming here to study but come primarily to work - they should be in no doubt that we will come down hard on those that flout the rules. I make no apologies for strengthening an already robust system," she stated.

Our concern here is that people should not be victims for one or few dubious acts perpetuated by a few individuals.

Students traveling to the UK for studies must also endeavour to go to school instead of going elsewhere.

The changes are expected to include barring students on courses of six months or less from bringing their families and limiting the number of hours students can work. Students would also be required to speak English fluently and those not in degree courses would be required to have been accepted at an institution on a list to be created of those certified as genuine to eliminate bogus schools that exist to help immigrants get visas.

To us, these new regulations are very stringent, and we therefore urge the British government to revisit it.

One of the teachings of the Holy Quran is that one must seek knowledge as far as China.

Since the world is a global village now, we must be careful of the stringent conditions we put in place to control the movement of people from one place to another.