News of the Week

UK tells foreign students: 'Speak 

English or stay out'

New visa rules  make language tests compulsory!

"Let me be clear: you need to speak English to learn at our education establishments. If you can't, we won't give you a visa."

This was the stark warning issued by UK home secretary Theresa May in parliament last month as she unveiled tough new rules for student visas aimed at cutting the numbers of migrants using education as a back door into Britain.

May said the changes to the current Tier 4 student visa rules will target private education providers suspected of bending visa rules, reposition the UK as a destination for only the "best and brightest" scholars, and cut visa numbers by 80,000.

The rules, which come into effect from on 21 April, will  have immediate impact for Britain's long-established English language schools sector, which is estimated to contribute $3bn to the UK economy.

But students who obtain the proof of  language ability under the new rules face another, final obstacle. Either on arrival or at visa-issuing offices, UKBA officers will have the power to bar students entry if they judge that their spoken English does not meet the minimum standards.

Even if the student has valid English language test certificates at B1 or B2 levels on the Common European Framework of Reference, depending on whether they want to pursue below- or above-degree level studies, an officer without training in assessing spoken English holds the key to their future.