The UK government's decision to exclude the Indian students from the list of 'low risk' countries has invited an outrage from the students, which means that getting a visa for the UK Universities will not be a hassle-free road for the Indian students.
Changes to the UK's immigration policy were tabled by the UK government yesterday in which it announced the relaxation of the Tier 4 visa category for the foreign students from 25 countries.
The list already has countries like the US, Canada and New Zealand and it further added the countries such as China, Bahrain and Serbia. Students coming from these countries will face reduced checks on educational, financial and English language skill requirements if they want to study in the British Universities.
These changes will come into effect on July 6.
Leavin India out of the list means that students from the country will have to face rigorous checks before they are approved to study in the UK universities.
Lord Karan Bilimoria, Indian-origin entrepreneur and President of the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), described the move of the UK government as insult to India and "economically illiterate and hostile attitude to immigration".
"I consider this another kick in the teeth for India... This sends entirely the wrong message to India, to exclude it from these Tier 4 measures. The government has simply got it wrong," said Bilimoria.
He further added “It is completely hypocritical that this is announced at the same time that Britain is talking about doing a post- Brexit free trade agreement (FTA) with India. If this is the way they treat India, they can dream on about an FTA with India”.
"India has always been one of Britain's closest allies and an emerging global economic superpower. Excluding India from this list is myopically short-sighted and is damaging what has always been a special relationship between our countries," he said.
The National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK also expressed its disappointment over the decision.