Home > News & Trends > National > Yahoo - January 31, 2010, by Shahid

UK suspends Indian Student Visa Applications

Suspecting rampant abuse after a 650 percent increase in student visa applications in three months, the British High Commission has temporarily suspended acceptance of new visa applications of students with effect from Feb 1 in north India.

‘From Feb 1, United Kingdom High Commission will stop accepting student visa applications under Tier 4 of the points based system at visa application centres in New Delhi, Chandigarh and Jalandhar,’ the regional director of UK Border Agency, Chris Dix, told reporters here Saturday.

The decision was taken after a ‘dramatic’ increase in student visa applications. Between October to December 2009, the number of student visa applications in northern India jumped to 13,500, compared to 1,800 in 2008 and 1000 in 2007 for the same period.