Previously students could come to UK, and first learn English and later could enrol on to better courses of their choice especially students from subcontinent India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri lanka, china where English is not their first language. Now if you have not acquired GCSE standard English, your doors to Britain for studies are closed which to me is unjust and discriminatory.
Since when in the world English has become the measuring table for a licence of learning. People may have a command in their own language but canlearn English in order to acquire the learning in their very discipline i.e science, arts, and design and return home to revert to their normal way of life. All students come and work during their vacations and part time during their term time. This enable them to seek work experience and on some occasions meet their expenses as education in universities is a very expensive business and overseas students for each fiscal year are required to pay over £5000-10,000 every year depending on each university or college and restricting to 10 hours work would mean that all the avenues ofpart time work are closed. It will allow genuine students to be either in breach of law and or remain under the carpet or survive in lesser money which is in this day and age is impossible ad unworkable.
There should be relaxation of work as well as tighter regulations to curb institutions who facilitate bogus admissions. Currently UKBA has no system at all. They have closedthousands of colleges which should not have been allowed to cater international students at first place, first UKBA allowed them to function and sponsor thousands of overseas students and later closed those institutions and did not offer any policy for those students who are already in the system after genuinely payingthousands of pounds fees thus putting them on streets due to no fault of their own. I think tighter regulations to have a check and balance between college, home office and students is desirable but changing policies and rules every 15 minutes is not a solution and labour govt should not take big decisions at the eleventh hour. Sponsorship system is not going to work. It will fail like the old work permit system failed where Thousands were sponsored by dubious Indian IT employer companies which closed down the moment those students entered UK market, which never could handle shortage of IT staff but figures showed the entry ofthousands of IT workers on work permits.
Finally, I do feel that it is unjust that UKBA allow a student to bring a family and then disallow his family to work. This will mean promoting the concept of ‘house wives’ culture. According to new rules applicable from 3 March 2010,international students can only bring their wives if they are enrolled on a course for over 6 months period but their wives will not be entitled to work unless highly qualified (tier 1 & 2 ) themselves, that will promote a culture of housewives which is nonsense to me as hundreds of overseas soldiers at Sandhurst , Engineers, doctors, judges from abroad visit UK on shorter 6-12 weeks courses which gives them an opportunity to bring their spouses, and taste British culture. Students who are enrolled on their professional or post graduate courses normally bring their families and if they have no children , the spouses work in order to pass time, or bit of extra help in the house, learning English, or in order to get accustomed to the atmosphere.
These new rules are but a shameful reverse gear towards a ‘nanny state’ where everything legal will be banned and all ‘illegal acts’ will be indirectly and discreetly carry on. Govt have failed to announce an amnesty for thousands who are working in the system and contributing in black economy. Lack of disciplined policy promoted fraud including identity and theft, and because there is no coherent policy how to tackle ‘illegal working’ people are exploited to work for pound or two an hour at London’s restaurants, hotels, clearing and cleaning outlets. UKBA is closing its eyes because they do not wish to go home empty stomach or who will clean their rubbish if these aliens are sent back. So they are in the system, without documents, and are allowed to be properly exploited.
I think general amnesty for all those who are in the system for over 5 years without criminal records is a way out . Due to looming security threat no one can support anyone who is remaining illegally in UK without even the documentation. If that figure is over 500,000 that worries me and strict scrutiny of every one not in the system so that UKBA could put all at sundry on the system logging entry & exit. It must promote Britain as a safer tourist place in Europe and a place of excellence for study for highly intellect individuals who have lust for knowledge, learning and experience. These cheap tactics of work or not work is degrading the country’s name into dust. Prime Minister must snub his Immigration poodles and should come up with logical solutions not illogic unworkable election specific tactics in the run up to election in May.
Barrister Amjad Malik, is a Chair Association of Pakistani Lawyers (United Kingdom)
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