British High Commissioner to Kenya Christian Turner has denied claims
that it has imposed strict regulations for Kenyans seeking student visas
September 7, 2012.
The United Kingdom has denied claims that it has imposed strict regulations for Kenyans seeking student visas.
British High Commissioner to
Kenya Christian Turner said Friday his country has introduced new
regulations because some people were abusing the system to stay in the
UK illegally.
“The UK benefits greatly from migration, but only when that migration is managed under a set of transparent and fair rules.
"Recent changes to the UK's
student visa system have introduced a set of reforms designed to tackle
abuse of the system,” Dr Turner said in a statement.
The High Commission was responding to an opinion piece appearing in the Wednesday edition of the Daily Nation.
In the article, Kenyatta
University’s International studies lecturer Joseph Magutt argued that
both the UK and the US have introduced the new system to lock out even
genuine applicants just because they want to limit those who want to
emigrate to their countries.
“These stringent measures are
informed by the fear that student visas have been abused by individuals
who wish to emigrate to Europe and America in search of a “better life”,
and who eventually disappear under the official radar,” he wrote.
“This move comes
notwithstanding the fact that the income raised through student visa
applications and tuition plays a key role in the British economy,
accounting for upwards of six billion sterling pounds annually, and
generating thousands of jobs.”
Among the measures the new
system has introduced include the imposition of visa requirements for
erstwhile visa-free states (like South Africa), demand for exceptional
academic performance, excruciating financial requirements, interrogating
scholarships, and clamping down on “diploma mills”, the lecturer added.
But while denying that there is any ill
motive to lock out thousands of students seeking visas to study in the
UK, Dr Turner argued that the new rules are only targeting those who
want to sneak to Britain under the guise of being students.
“We must not let the minority
of overseas students, such as those who don’t complete their studies and
who then stay in the UK illegally, diminish the positive contribution
of the majority,” he said
Dr Turner said that visa fees do not generate profits but only cover the costs involved.
About 200 Kenyans apply for
visas to the UK every day. The High Commissioner said "99 percent" of
them are processed within the standard 15 working days.
The High Commission approves
roughly eight out of every 10 applications, but Dr Turner could not
explain the common reasons for rejections.
“My messages to Kenyans is; come to the UK, but apply in good time!” he said.
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