UK to cut student visas by half

The UK government is reportedly finalising plans to cut annual student visa figures by half from 3 lakhs to 1.7 lakhs. This move is expected to be taken despite a UK Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures indicate a sharp fall in students coming to the country from outside Europe like India. India is the third largest country after the US and China with 10,664 student visa applications granted between June 2015 and 2016. Already many Indian students are denied visas on minor grounds as part of the UK government’s move to cut immigration into the UK. The UK government wants to cut down the net migration down to sustainable levels. International students contribute nearly 14 billion pounds to the UK economy. During the visit of British Prime Minister Theresa May to India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stressed the importance of access to the institutions of higher education in the UK for Indian students.