Many students are excited about getting selected for admission at prestigious universities in the United Kingdom (UK), especially in London, for a bachelor’s or master’s degree course. However, both students and their parents are worried due to travel restrictions in the UK.
India is still on the UK’s red list of countries of the UK administration acknowledging the Covid-19 pandemic.
Consequently, they have to go through mandatory quarantine at a government-approved hotel. The ban on Indian travellers raises concerns whether they would be able to join the classes at a scheduled time.
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Siddhant, who has been selected to get admitted to a prestigious university in London for pursuing a master’s degree, is worried about getting his student visa, purchasing airlines tickets and getting his second jab of Covid-19 vaccine shot on time. However, he is upbeat about the Boris Johnson government’s new post-study graduate route for international students accepting applications from July 1, 2021.
“This new rule is beneficial for me, and I feel that it will give me the opportunity to gain work experience in the heart of London,” the Gurugram resident told TOI. “Hopefully, I will be able to explore opportunities in British government organizations to gain valuable experience once I finish off my master’s course.”
In Jaya’s case, she is worried about the compulsory 10-day quarantine for Indian students en-route to the UK this year and the extra expenses that she and her family are likely to incur due to the rule. She is ready to join the University of Oxford for a master’s course.
Jaya feels that a post-study work visa is advantageous for Indian students as “it offers a pathway for pupils to work in the UK and later seek permanent residence,” Jaya opined. “Besides, the doors also open up to working in other countries.”
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The post-study graduate route for students announced in September 2019 will undoubtedly attract overseas students, especially Indian students, as a one-stop education destination. At the same time, other popular education destinations like Australia and New Zealand have restricted Indian students to enter since the coronavirus outbreak.
As per the latest immigration report from the UK government, more than 56,000 Indian students were issued visas to study in the country from April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021, having a steady increase of 13% over last year.
