Warwick added to visa pilot for international Masters students

Warwick is one of the universities that have been added to a visa pilot concerning international Masters students who want to study in the UK.

The pilot – which was extended on Monday 18 December – started with the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Bath and Imperial College London last year and it now includes another 23 universities. The target of the pilot is to simplify the process for international students who wish to study on a Masters course of 13 months or less in the UK. It also provides support for students who later look to switch to a work visa or take up a graduate role, by allowing them to extend their stay in the UK for six months after they have finished their course.

Universities taking part have will have to conduct the eligibility checks, meaning that fewer documents will be required as opposed to the current process. Nonetheless, applicants who do not meet immigration rules will be refused. Identity checks will still be required by the Home Office security.

The target of the pilot is to simplify the process for international students who wish to study on a Masters course of 13 months or less in the UK

The most recent statistics given by the Home Office show that the number of students applying for visas rose by 8% over the past year, and there has been a 9% increase in the number of students applying to Russell Group universities.

Tim Bradshaw, the chief executive of the Russell Group, declared that the recent inclusion of the further 23 universities was ‘good news’: “This will help attract students to study here and enable the UK to benefit from talented international graduates.” He went on to add: “We hope to see this scheme rolled out more widely as soon as possible to those universities that can demonstrate high levels of compliance with the visa regulations.”

Recent statistics have shown that Warwick is one of the most popular universities for international students. With an international satisfaction rate with the University of more than 91%, Warwick continues to attract international students and its involvement in this scheme is a clear indication that the University wants to sustain this popularity.