Shillong, November 23: Education agents are capitalizing on the urgency of Indian students to secure spots at UK universities before the government’s impending ban on dependents’ entry, effective January 1, 2024.
As per IANS, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the ban earlier this year due to a nearly eightfold increase in family members joining foreign students. The ban applies to those not pursuing “high-value” degrees under government plans.
A couple reportedly paid 30,000 pounds to secure both a student visa and a dependent’s visa, illustrating the heightened demand. Some universities have opened early applications in November and December as students accelerate their visa processes to circumvent the ban.
Sunak’s decision followed a significant rise in study-related visas for dependents, almost doubling from 80,846 in the year ending June 2022 to 154,063 in June 2023, constituting nearly 24% of all sponsored study-related visas.
To evade the ban, a couple resorted to a “contract” marriage, where the man funded his wife’s UK university education in exchange for her sponsoring his dependent visa for work.
In another instance, Rinku Sharma from Ahmedabad sold his agricultural land to pay an education agent 11,000 pounds for admission to a master’s course and a dependent visa for his wife.
Sahil Bhatia, head of Om Visa, a Punjab-based visa consultancy, reported receiving 30 to 40 spouse applications daily. Universities like BPP in London, Birmingham, and Bedfordshire are reportedly accepting students in November and December.
International students contribute an estimated 35 billion pounds annually to the UK economy, with 490,763 students granted visas last year.
Besides tuition fees ranging from 10,000 to 26,000 pounds, foreign students and their dependents contribute through an NHS surcharge of 400 pounds per year for the student and 600 pounds for a dependent, according to UK-based New Way Consultancy.
