Fingerprints and Points

There was a time not too long ago in the UK when university administrators argued that they would not do the job of the Home Office in 'policing' the whereabouts of international students on student visas. It looks as though the argument has been lost.

New proposed regulations from the UK Border Agency are suggesting that student visa applications will be brought into the new 'points' systems for all migration applications. This will entail applicants going through a rigourous procedure including fingerprinting and providing evidence of sufficient funds to support themselves for the duration of their studies.

Universities that recruit international students will need a licence to do so, and part of the requirement of keeping that licence is that they provide information to the UKBA on the attendance records of their international migrants/students.

The UKBA claims that "We want good students. But we want to shut down bogus colleges operating ‘courses’ which are really a means to low skilled employment." So 'good' students do not enter into low skilled employment, obviously. What they neglect to mention is that first and foremost they want students who can pay a substantial amount of money for the privilege of studying in the UK, and who are willing to be treated as criminals before they even arrive.