After public consultation, the Home Office has officially announced changes to student visa rules. The Post Study Work route, which allows international (non-EU) graduates to work in the UK for 2 years after their degree courses, will be closed from April 2012.

Other changes to overseas student visa regulations include a higher English language proficiency requirement and greater scrutiny of a student’s financial capabilities for the issue of student visas.

There will also be greater restrictions to overseas student working rights while a student. Further, sponsor institutions will need to have a ‘Highly Trusted Sponsor’ status, and from now on only post-graduates on courses that last longer than a year will be able to bring dependents.

In addition, student visa applications will be streamlined on the basis of nationality. Those from traditionally less ‘risky’ nations will have their visas processed quicker, a move that officials claim will mean more resources can be used to evaluate those from nations deemed ‘risky’. Prospective students will also need to demonstrate financial capability to fund the whole of their degree with only bank statements from UK Home Office ‘approved’ banks.

As well as requiring a higher English language for students to gain a visa, the UK Border Agency Officers, those that work in air-port immigration, are given discretionary powers to refuse entry to students whose English proficiency they determine isn’t at the intermediate level set for student visas.

Though international students in public universities will retain their current right to work 20 hours week during term time, the new rules stipulate that work placements (out of term work) they undertake must involve a “study : work ratio” of minimum 50:50. Students at private institutions won’t be allowed to work at all during term time.

The Post Study Work visa will be scrapped from April 2012. However, graduates can transfer to a Tier 2 visa (or the employer sponsorship visa), provided they find a job before they graduate. Unlike other Tier 2 visas, these won’t be subjected to an annual limit, and the employer won’t have to certify a lack of suitable candidates from the EU.

The aim of the policy is to reduce international student numbers by 80,000, a quarter of the current number of students. Theresa May, the Home Secretary, explained, "International students not only make a vital contribution to the UK economy but they also help make our education system one of the best in the world. But it has become very apparent that the old student visa regime failed to control immigration and failed to protect legitimate students from poor quality colleges.

"The changes I am announcing today re-focus the student route as a temporary one, available to only the brightest and best. The new system is designed to ensure students come for a limited period, to study not work, and make a positive contribution while they are here."

The announcement of the policy comes after public consultation, and in spite of a report by a Commons Select Committee, the Home Affairs Committee,  published on the 17th of March criticizing many of the rule changes. The committee noted, for instance, ‘the importance of the Post-Study Work route in attracting students to the UK", and "disagree[d] with the Government proposal to close it.’

Keith Vaz, Chair of the Committee commented:"Students are not migrants. They come from all over the world to study here, contributing to the economy both through payment of fees and wider spending. Whilst we are right to seek to eliminate bogus colleges and bogus students, we need to ensure that we continue to attract the brightest and the best.

The Government’s policy ought to be evidence-based. Generating policy based on flawed evidence could cripple the UK education sector. In the case of international students this could mean a significant revenue and reputational loss to the UK. We strongly urge the Government to examine the data which it currently uses to extrapolate migration figures and recognise that for any genuine student the doors to Britain’s fine education institutions are always open."

If the door is shut they will simply study elsewhere."