重大要闻：学生移民系统的重要变化；PSW 明年4月关闭
2011年3月22日-星期二
那些想到英国学习的学生要面对更加严格的审核以及他们的工作权利将受到更加严格的限制，这是今天发布的对学生签证系统作出重大改革的消息。
改革旧的系统
英国内政部大呈Theresa May今天说：“国际学生不仅对英国经济做出重大贡献，且让我们的教育体系也成为世界上最好的教育体系之一。 然而，旧的学生签证系统却没有有效的控制移民，没有有效的保护那些到低质量学院学习的合法学生。 我今天发布的改革消息还是集中强调学生的途径只是一个临时短暂的途径，它只供那些最聪明最佳的学生享用。新系统的设计以保证那些到英国来的学生，只是来学习而不是来工作的，且只能呆一个有限期限， 同时，他们在英国学习的这段时间能对英国做出积极的贡献" 。
主要改变：
从2012年4 月起，那些到英国学习学士学位的学生的英文程度要比现在的规定要求程度高。英国边境署的移民官员将有权阻止那些没有口译员的帮助而无法用英语交流的学生入境，因为这些将被阻止入境的学生没有达到所要求的语言程度要求。
工作权利：
那些在公立大学或公立学院学习的学生将可以保留目前享有的工作权利，但是其他学生将不享有工作的权利。
容许学生毕业后获取两年工签的‘毕业生工作途径-即PSW’现在已关闭。只有那些毕业后的学生获取了有担保许可证的雇主所提供的技术工作（tier 2)才能继续待在英国工作。同时，只有那些在公立大学攻读研究生或硕士及由政府提供担保学习的学生才能携带家属到英国。
学生签证（学士学位以下课程）的整个学习时间长度将只能限制于3年（此政策和目前一样，没有改变），学士学位以上课程为5年。 目前的移民政策是学生学习学士学位或以上课程的学习完成时间没有规定，可以无限地继续学下去。
消除滥用
Theresa May 说："我的目的不是阻止那些真实到英国学习的学生，而是消除那些对系统的滥用现象。
以上是摘要，全文原文请见如下。
Major changes to student visa system
Tuesday, 22 Mar 2011
Tougher criteria for people wanting to come to the UK to study and limits on their right to work are among major reforms to the student visas system announced today.
Following a Home Office review which revealed widespread abuse of the system, and a public consultation, major changes aim to tighten up the system and protect the brightest and best students.
Old system changed
Home Secretary Theresa May said: 'International students not only make a vital contribution to the UK economy but they also help make our education system one of the best in the world.
'But it has become very apparent that the old student visa regime failed to control immigration and failed to protect legitimate students from poor quality colleges.
‘The changes I am announcing today re-focus the student route as a temporary one, available to only the brightest and best. The new system is designed to ensure students come for a limited period, to study not work, and make a positive contribution while they are here.’
What’s changing?
From April 2012 all institutions wanting to sponsor students will have to be classed as ‘highly trusted sponsors’ and become accredited by statutory education inspection bodies by the end of 2012.
The current system does not require this and allowed too many poor quality colleges into the system
Those coming to study at degree level will have to speak a higher level of English than now.
UK Border Agency staff will be able to refuse entry to students who cannot speak English without an interpreter and who therefore do not meet the required standards.
Work rights
Students at universities and publicly funded further education colleges will retain current work rights but all other students will have no right to work,
Restrictions will be placed on work placements at courses outside of universities.
The ‘post study work route’, which allowed students two years to seek employment after their course ended has been closed.
Only those graduates who have an offer of a skilled job from a sponsoring employer, in Tier 2 of the points-based-system, will be able to stay to work
Meanwhile, only postgraduate students at universities and government sponsored students to be will be able to bring their family members with them.
At the moment all students on longer courses are able to bring dependants.
And the overall time that can be spent on a student visa will be limited to three years at lower levels, as now, and five years at higher levels. There is currently no limit for study at or above degree level.
Eliminating abuse
Theresa May added: 'My aim is not to stop genuine students coming here - it is to eliminate abuse within the system. Our stricter accreditation process will see only first class education providers given licences to sponsor students.
‘I am delighted to announce that alongside our stricter rules, we will ensure that innovative student entrepreneurs who are creating wealth are able to stay in the UK to pursue their ideas.’
The government has committed to reforming all routes of entry to the UK in order to bring immigration levels under control.
The student changes will work alongside the annual limit on economic migration, and reforms to family and settlement routes planned for later this year.
新闻链接：http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/media-centre/news/major-student-changes
重要补充：有关PSW
刚刚从 UKBA 边境署的最新消息看来，PSW的取消应该是从明年4月开始，而不是以上新闻说的马上取消，让大家吓了一跳，望谅，不过以上原文得原翻移。
最新消息原文见下：
Government outlines overhaul of student visas
22 March 2011
Tougher entrance criteria, limits on work entitlements and the closure of the post-study work route are among the changes to the student visa system announced today by Home Secretary Theresa May.
The announcement follows a major public consultation on reforming Tier 4 of the points-based system, after a Home Office review revealed widespread abuse. A sample of Tier 4 students studying at private institutions revealed that 26 per cent of them could not be accounted for.
The main changes are as follows:
■From April 2012, any institution wanting to sponsor students will need to be classed as a Highly Trusted sponsor, and will need to become accredited by a statutory education inspection body by the end of 2012. The current system does not require this, and has allowed too many poor-quality colleges to become sponsors.
■Students coming to study at degree level will need to speak English at an ‘upper intermediate’ (B2) level, rather than the current ‘lower intermediate’ (B1) requirement.
■UK Border Agency staff will be able to refuse entry to students who cannot speak English without an interpreter, and who therefore clearly do not meet the minimum standard.
■Students at universities and publicly funded further education colleges will retain their current work rights, but all other students will have no right to work. We will place restrictions on work placements in courses outside universities.
■Only postgraduate students at universities and government-sponsored students will be able to bring their dependants. At the moment, all students on longer courses can bring their dependants.
■We will limit the overall time that can be spent on a student visa to 3 years at lower levels (as it is now) and 5 years at higher levels. At present, there is no time limit for study at or above degree level.
■We will close the Tier 1 (Post-study work) route, which allows students 2 years to seek employment after their course ends. Only graduates who have an offer of a skilled job from a sponsoring employer under Tier 2 of the points-based system will be able to stay to work.
见链接：http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsarticles/2011/march/54-student-visas
