UK Immigration: number of Saudi Students studying in the UK increases

This week, British Ambassador Sir John Jenkins said that the UK welcomes over 100,000 Saudis every year, estimating that 45,000 applications are from Kingdom’s Western Region. Sir John was talking at the opening of a new visa center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He claimed that the majority of applications made were for tourist and study visa purposes. Last year in December 2013 the Home Office announced that from 1 January 2014, those who hold a passport from United Arab Emirates, Qatar or Oman can visit the UK (for tourism, business or study purposes) for up to 6 months with an electronic visa waiver (EVW).

UK opens new Visa Center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

The British Ambassador has said the new visa center was opened in Jeddah because of Britain’s increasing popularity as a destination for leisure and business. 

Steven Dick, a British Embassy spokesman, stated that the number of Saudi students coming to the UK is between 16,000 and 20,000.

“All students have to go through the same visa process whether part of scholarship program or not.”

At the beginning of this year those who hold a passport from United Arab Emirates, Qatar or Oman can visit the UK with a EVW. This is for individuals that that plan to study or stay in the UK for more than 6 months, work or get married or register a civil partnership in the UK.

Immigration Statistics: Migrating to the UK to study

In the last decade there have been changes in the number of people migrating to the UK to study. Around 140,000 to 150,000 long-term migrants arrived in the UK annually to study during the early 2000s. This started to increase from 2008 to a peak of 246,000 in the year ending September 2011. Since then the number has steadily declined and recently leveled to 177,000 in the year ending December 2013.

There were 219,053 visas issued for the purposes of study (excluding student visitors) in the year ending March 2014, a rise of 6%. An estimated 71% of long-term immigrants to the UK for study are non-EU citizens. In particular, the majority of immigrants to the UK for formal study come from the Other Foreign country group.

Successful UK Tier 4 Student Visa Applications & Appeals

If you are a student wishing to come to the UK to study, our team of experienced and professionally qualified immigration solicitors and barristers will be able to guide you through the process of making a student visa application step by step and limit the possibility of failure by complying with the strict letter of law.

We also undertake a great deal of appeal work before the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal and have a successful track record of successful results for our clients. We have the experience and the knowledge required to take your case forward successfully. If you have had a student visa refused, contact us to discuss your case so that we can provide you with a case assessment.

Contact us so that we can review your case and provide you with an assessment.

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