The end of 2019 is coming soon, and a series of positive combinations have emerged for the study abroad in the UK market. How to seize new opportunities in changes? The following summary of recent policies will provide you with a way to look forward to the changes and development of the UK education industry in 2020.
1. The PSW work visa for international students will be restored soon
Since 2018, the call for the return of a PSW (Post Study Work) visa has not been interrupted. Both international students, principals of British institutions of higher learning, and education and research institutions have requested the British government to restore this visa as soon as possible. In September this year, the British government finally announced the reform of the current visa system, restoring the PSW visa, which is popular with international students, and allowing students in the UK to stay in the UK for two years after graduation to find job opportunities.
Although the United Kingdom has always had similar visas in the past, after the cancellation of the PSW visa in 2012, according to the estimates of Universities UK (hereinafter referred to as UUK), in the five academic years of 2013-2017, the British economy suffered a total loss due to the cancellation of the PSW visa. Potential gains of £8 billion.
Behind the restoration of the PSW visa in the UK this time, there are of course huge economic considerations.
According to data released by UUK, international students have made a huge contribution to the British economy. British students bring 26 billion pounds of direct and indirect economic contributions, 207,000 jobs, and 10.8 billion pounds of exports to the UK every year. Among them, among all overseas students, the contribution of Chinese students to the British economy topped the list. According to data from the International Student Affairs Commission of the United Kingdom, in the 2017-2018 academic year, the number of (non-EU) international students receiving higher education in the UK was 458,500. Among them, the country that sent the most international students to the UK was China, with a total of 106,500 people. .
Previously, the British government planned to increase the number of international students by 30% to 600,000 by 2030, and the British government must fully cooperate with the work of various universities. The revival of the PSW visa will undoubtedly attract more international students to choose to study in the UK.
The University of the United Kingdom (Universities UK) released the above data
2. 2019 World QS Rankings, the overall rise of British institutions
Although the UK has been affected by Brexit in all aspects, the status of education is unshakable. The overall ranking of UK universities in the 2019 QS rankings has remained stable, and the rankings of most UK universities have risen.
In this ranking, 76 British universities are included in the list. Of the 18 universities in the top 100, a total of 9 universities are members of the China-Britain Business Council . These include Imperial College London (8) and University College London (10), which have been in the top 10 for many years, King’s College London, University of Glasgow, Durham University, University of Sheffield, University of Birmingham, University of Nottingham from Russell University Group And the University of Leeds. Compared with 2018, Durham University, University of Sheffield, University of Birmingham and University of Nottingham have all increased in rankings. It is worth mentioning that the University of Leeds has risen 8 places from last year and joined the top 100 camp.
3. Simplified application materials for UK Tier4 student visa
In this “grabbing” contest, the British government not only restarted the PSW visa, but also gradually liberalized and simplified the visa application process. Since July 2018, the application materials for the Tier 4 student visa have been greatly simplified. Applicants do not need to submit three proof materials: proof of funds, proof of education or proof of English proficiency. However, in the face of the new visa policy, Chinese students still need to meet all the requirements for a Tier 4 student visa. The UK Visa and Immigration Bureau reserves the right to request students to submit the above materials by random sampling.
According to the latest data from the UK Visa and Immigration Service, as of June 2019, more than 107,000 Tier 4 student visas have been issued, but in 2018 there were no more than 100,000. So as of the end of June, excluding the peak of student visas in the third quarter, this data exceeded 100,000, an increase of 20%, and the rate of visas exceeded 99%.
