The rising risk factor for student visas in the United Kingdom has become a cause for concern for authorities in the country.
There is a hike in the student visa risk factor, as claimed by the UK. According to UKVI, there are increasing cases of fraudulent documents and issues with English proficiency. Oliver Rae, the Deputy Director of Study Operations at UKVI, said that the number of fake documents from some countries is on the rise. The forgery is mainly in terms of bank statements. Rae did not specifically mention the names of the nations from where the fraudulent documents are coming.
However, Rae said that UKVI is currently on a mission to eliminate fraudulent documents, including educational certificates and bank statements. Additionally, UKVI is working closely with a number of institutions where the increased cases of student arrival and CAS issuance are being reported.
It is claimed that international students are trying to use the student route to meet the purpose of entering the country. Even so, there are occasions when students do not fulfil the relevant English proficiency criteria when entering the country. As per Rae, some students are not performing at “the level expected against the immigration rules” when they are encountered at the border upon their arrival in the United Kingdom.
The government has noticed that student visas are a common source of compliance in the visa world, which has an average 3% refusal rate. At Pie Live Europe, held in London, Rae was being asked about the risk of universities working with private institutions. Rae replied that if third-party agents help students get recruited to the Home Office, action can be taken against them.