London Metropolitan University: The State of International Education in the United Kingdom

News broke last week of  London Metropolitan University (LMU) losing its international status, as the United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) declared that the school did not keep well enough track of its international students. As a result, the school can no longer host international students, and all international students who were enrolled at the school for this academic year may not attend LMU. The fallout from this decision has been severe, as many students who had planned on attending LMU this year now are unsure where they will be going to school in the fall. Will they be able to transfer to another school, or will they be forced to return home? 

LMU vice-chancellor Malcolm Gillies denies any wrongdoing, and claims that because the UKBA changed its regulations regarding international students "at least 14 times in the last three years," the university was unaware of any violations. While the UKBA perhaps did make changes to its policies, this is still no excuse for LMU to not have been up to date with the agency's rules. If this were the case, then why did not other universities across the UK meet a similar fate? To me, this sounds like poor preparation and follow through on LMU's part, but it also sounds like poor communication from the UKBA, who through so many changes and a lack of notification made it unnecessarily complicated to report international students.

However, The Guardian reports that the UKBA has united with the Department of Business, Universities UK, HEFCE, and the National Union of Students in order to set up a taskforce that will seek to identify all legitimate students and subsequently work to place them in another institution. How they will determine the legitimacy of these students is unclear, and how they will place all 2,700 of these students at other universities is also unclear. In addition, these students were also given a 60 day deadline to find another school or go home.

While there certainly appears to have been some grievous errors made by LMU, I am curious as to why the UKBA chose to give such little warning to international students. Apparently, the UKBA and LMU worked for six months prior to their international students being revoked, and some warning should have been given to prospective and current students. I am curious as to what other international students make of this situation, those who are currently deciding whether to study in the UK or elsewhere. Will this make them nervous about studying in the UK, for fear that their university may be the next one to have its international status revoked? In my opinion, the UKBA should be forced to place all legitimate students in another university- whether or not this taskforce will accomplish that is yet to be determined.

I hope that for the sake of the UK and its wonderful reputation around the world as a beacon for higher education, this issue will not discourage students from attending UK universities. I personally believe that it won't, but it remains to be seen how this will affect international student enrollment.

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New British Immigration Rules a Nightmare for Young Families

On July 8, 2012, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) instituted strict immigration laws that have made it extremely difficult for UK citizens to bring to the UK their foreign-born spouses. If the sponsor (the British citizen) is outside the UK, then they must have had employment for the past 6 months earning at least 18,600 pounds, and also must have employment lined up in the UK as well earning that much. Their spouse cannot be the one to have work in the UK. In fact, if the foreign spouse has a job waiting in the UK, but the sponsor does not, then technically under the new immigration law the visa application will be denied.

However, if the couple does not have employment waiting for them in the UK, then they must have accumulated at least 62,500 pounds, and they must have had that amount in a bank account for at least 6 months. If the couple do have jobs in the UK, but earn less than 18600, then they may make up for this discrepancy in savings. You must take the discrepancy and multiply that amount by 2.5, and then add that total to 16,000. So, if the couple earn 16,000 pounds, then there will be a 2600 pound discrepancy. Multiply 2600 by 2.5, and you will get 6500 pounds. Add 6500 to 16000, and the couple will need to have 22500 pounds in savings.

This will most certainly curb immigration to the UK substantially. Another rule change is that no longer can a couple be sponsored by a family member in or outside of the UK. No longer may young couples use their parents for support- something that so many LEGAL UK citizens do on a daily basis. It seems that these rules will meet their desired goal, but at what cost? How many talented young people will the UK lose due to the fact that they cannot use their parents as sponsors in order to begin their careers, not to mention the heinous savings expectations that very few young people will be able to meet.

A long lasting friendship that could be severed for future generations due to harsh  immigration changes in the UK.

I am certainly aware that the UK does have some immigration issues, and certainly there was long overdue need for tighter measures. But why did the UK target such young people that could potentially provide a boost to the workforce and to the economy? With the large amount of illegal immigrants filtering through the UK each day, it is amazing that the UK did not crack down on those already in the country illegally, instead of unfairly targeting those who seek to enter legally and correctly. Will there be a backlash to these, quite frankly, ageist policies? I can imagine scores of young families being separated for extended periods of time, as well as young couples currently living outside of the country who will have no way to return to friends and loved ones. Indeed, if my wife (who is British) were to need to move back to the UK, under these new rules I would be unable to go with her, putting a strain on our young marriage. It is certainly a sad situation, and I can only hope that the UKBA will change its policies to address illegal, not legal immigration.

Rule #14 for Breaking into the Field of International Education: Be aware of immigration issues across the world.


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Tier 4 Continued...Students Needing to Prove English Language Skills

Following up from the previous post, if you are intending to come to study in the United Kingdom, then you will need to prove that you have sufficient competency in the English language. According to the UKBA website, if your course is at a level NQF 6 (Bachelor's degree) or higher, then your English language skills must be "at a minimum of CEFR level B2." If your course is at NQF 3-5, then your English language skills must be "at a minimum of CEFR level B1." So, what exactly does this mean?

CEFR stands for Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. It is an attempt to standardize the way we test a person's language skills, with grades, from lowest to highest, being A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2. So, if you are attempting to study in the UK in a Bachelor's course or higher, you must meet a minimum score of B2. 


Students are judged on a number of different factors, including Overall Listening Comprehension, Overall Reading Comprehension, Spoken Interaction, Written Interaction, Spoken Production, Written Production, and Processing Text. More information about the test and how you will be graded can be found on the Council of Europe website: http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Manuel1_EN.asp#TopOfPage.


The CEFR is more of a guideline than a strict outline that must be followed. According to the UKBA, while you must meet a specific score on the CEFR to enroll in the course, if you are intending to enroll in a Bachelor's course or above, then the education provider may choose its "own method of assessing your English language ability." However, if you are in a course that is below NQF 6, then you must be tested apparently in a specific manner, and have achieved a B1 level on all 4 components of the test.


Students coming from a majority English speaking country identified by the UKBA are exempt from needing to prove their English language competency. In addition to this English language requirement, you must also receive a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number. This is worth 30 points out of the 40 points required to come to England to study, with 10 points being reserved for having a sufficient amount of funds for living expenses whilst studying in the UK.


There are certainly a lot of nuances to the Tier 4 student visa, and the past two posts really just cover the tip of the iceberg of the rules and regulations that govern this seemingly simple visa category. Here is the UKBA's very, VERY detailed guide to the visa (a 79 page thriller): http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/pbs/Tier4migrantguidance.pdf 

So remember, be sure to read ALL pertinent information about the visa that you are applying for, so that you send out all required documents and forms. One missing signature or one missing duplicate could postpone your trip significantly. Trust me, I was very close to having that happen on my own Tier 4 student visa application!


Rule #13 for Breaking into the Field of International Education: Be up to date with all immigration rules and regulations, because they can change frequently depending on the party in power.


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Studying in the UK- Tier 4 Adult Students

Ah, that comforting yellow sign when you touch down in England. But there is a  detailed immigration process for students wanting to study in the UK.

So you've decided to study abroad at an English university. And you're all excited about studying in London, Leicester, Manchester, etc. But you forget about an important detail- the visa process. When dealing with foreign governments and their immigration system, it can be very daunting and very confusing. Often times there isn't precise information out there on what documents you need and what visa you need to get. But, need not fear, for surprisingly the United Kingdom has done a pretty decent job about being clear on who needs to apply for the visa and what documents they need. Well, kinda.

If you are not a citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA) or a British Commonwealth or territory, then you will need to obtain a Tier 4 student visa. Britain seems to be unique in that you must qualify for the visa based on a points system. 30 points are awarded for students who have a valid confirmation of acceptance for studies and have acceptable English language skills (more on that in a bit), while 10 points are awarded if students meet the financial requirements.

An acceptable course of study ranges under the Tier 4 guidelines. First, the student must be registered full-time, and the course must be as part of their Bachelor's degree or higher (the Bachelor's degree is referred to as level 6 on the National Qualifications Framework [NQF], so it must be level 6 or higher). Or, the course can be an English Language course at or above level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR- I am not really sure what this is so more research is required on my part!). Or, the student must be involved in 15 hours of daytime study, which is specified as between 08:00-18:00 (hadn't heard that one before!).

However, if the course is below NQF level 6, then the course must be part of what is called a pre-sessional course,which is supposed to prepare you for the main course that you will be taking immediately following. For instance, some schools offer a pre-sessional English course to help prepare foreign language students for their true course of study. Also, the course could also be on level 3, which is considered to be equivalent to English A-levels, only if the student is studying with a Highly Trusted Sponsor. Think you might have trouble finding one of these "Highly Trusted Sponsors"? Fear not- the United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) lists over 2000 institutions that fall into this category!

OK, so that is a very rudimentary introduction to students studying under the Tier 4 visa. Up next, we will delve more deeply into this visa, and wade through the waters of students whose first language is not English, and will have to prove their English language skills. It gets tricky, but after understanding the terminology and acronyms, it gets a lot easier!

UK Border Agency Tier 4 website: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/studying/adult-students/

Rule #12 for Breaking into the Field of International Education: Understand the immigration procedures for countries where your students will be travelling to or from.

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