Welsh universities in pilot scheme for international students

TWO Welsh universities will take part in a pilot scheme to make it easier for international masters students to study in the UK.

For the first time institutions in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will be involved in the scheme which will see universities being given responsibility for eligibility checks.

This means that students can submit fewer documents than required in the current process alongside their visa applications.

The universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Bath and Imperial College London are currently taking part in the Tier 4 visa pilot, but 23 further institutions will now take part for students in the 2018/19 intake.

This includes Cardiff University and the Swansea campus of the University of Wales Trinity St David.

The pilot streamlines the process for international students looking to study on a masters course of 13 months or less in the UK and also provides greater support for students who wish to switch to a work visa and take up a graduate role, by allowing them to remain in the country for six months after they have finished their course.

Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis said: “I am delighted to announce the expansion of this pilot which is part of our ongoing activity to ensure that our world-leading institutions remain highly competitive.

“The UK continues to be the second most popular destination for international students and the number coming to study at our universities has increased by 24% since 2010.

“This is a clear indication that genuine students are welcome and there is no limit on the number who can come to study in the UK.”

The additional 23 universities were selected as their visa refusal rates are consistently the lowest in their area or region.

As well as the two universities in Wales, they include Goldsmiths University of London, Harper Adams University, Newcastle University, Queen’s University Belfast, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of Bristol, Durham University, University of East Anglia, University of Edinburgh, University of Essex, University of Exeter, University of Glasgow, University of Leicester, University of Liverpool, University of Manchester, University of Nottingham, University of Reading, University of Sheffield, University of Southampton, University of Warwick and University of York.