Indians to benefit after UK extends student visa pilot
What's the story
The British government has extended a pilot scheme introduced in 2016 allowing Indian and other non-EU students studying at four British universities to stay back find employment after their course ends.
The scheme now covers 23 more universities.
There's been a 50% drop in Indian students heading to Britain since 2010 due to tighter visa norms and the post-study work visa's abolishment in 2012.
Explained
What does the pilot scheme entail?
The pilot scheme applied to international students of Oxford, Cambridge, Bath and Imperial College London.
It allowed them to stay back in the UK for six months after their course ended, instead of two months, to look for work and shift to a work visa.
The new rules extend this to 23 additional universities selected based on their low visa refusal rates.
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Which universities now come under the pilot scheme
The 23 universities include, are Cardiff University, Newcastle University, University of Edinburgh, University of Essex, University of Exeter, University of Glasgow, University of Leicester, University of Liverpool, University of Manchester, University of Warwick, University of York, and University of Warwick.
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New rules apply from 2018-19 intake, visa application simplified
The new rules would apply from the 2018-19 intake.
Universities bear the responsibility for eligibility checks allowing students to cut down the number of documents required by the current visa applications regime.
"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," said Immigration minister Brandon Lewis.