Tougher rules on UK visa applications that take effect today will not affect Taiwanese students wishing to study in the UK, the UK representative office in Taipei and Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday.
The new rules require that applicants have a General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in a foreign language or its equivalent to study in the UK and that they take courses to improve their English language competency once they enter the UK. The rules also cut in half the amount of time a student studying below the first degree level will be able to work in the UK to just 10 hours per week during each school term. The rule change was made because British Prime Minister Gordon Brown had requested a review of student visa requirements in November to prevent abuse of the system.
British Trade and Cultural Office (BTCO) Director David Campbell said the new rules should not have a negative impact on Taiwanese students.
“These changes are aimed at reducing immigration abuse and should not affect anyone who is studying at a reputable educational establishment,” Campbell said.
Campbell also said the rules did not change the fact that Taiwanese students do not need visas to take short courses (less than six months) in the UK.
BTCO is the UK’s representative office in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also does not expect the new measure to negatively impact the number of Taiwanese students hoping to study in the UK, Department of European Affairs Director-General Chiu Jong-jen (邱仲仁) said.
Currently, there are more than 15,000 Taiwanese students studying in the UK, Chiu said.
Eliza Lee, marketing and communications manager at the British Council, the UK’s international cultural relations organization, said the measures were targeted at students from India, Pakistan and other countries who go to the UK to work rather than study.
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