3,000 banks on blacklist for student visa applications
Foreign students applying to study in the UK who claim they have funds to support themselves and pay for their course held in any of the banks on the list will receive no points for maintenance, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) said.
The list, which includes 1,977 banks in India, three in Pakistan and 762 in the Philippines, is the latest part of the government’s efforts to crack down on bogus students.
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A UKBA spokeswoman said: “We have radically overhauled the student visa system in order to tackle abuses whilst continuing to attract the brightest and best genuine students from across the world.
“We need to be confident that those applying for student visas have the funds to support themselves and pay for their course in the UK.”
Alp Mehmet, vice-chairman of the campaign group Migration Watch UK, said the list was “just one indication of the rampant abuse of the student visa system”.