Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

London Mayor calls for easier UK visas for Indian students

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan today (16) called on the UK government to add India to the list of low-risk countries offered a more simplified student visa application process, asserting that it is vital the country maintains its reputation for higher education excellence.

In a letter to UK home secretary Sajid Javid, the 47-year-old mayor expressed his "deep concern" at India being excluded from a recently expanded list of countries from where overseas students can access a more streamlined university application process.


"It is vital the UK maintains its reputation for higher education excellence. The number of Indian students choosing to study in the UK has declined significantly over the last decade," Khan said in a statement.

"I'm urging him [Sajid Javid] to both add India to the scheme and also to review the UK's broader approach to attracting international student talent, including post-study opportunities," he said.

Last month, the UK home office had announced that citizens of 11 additional countries including China, Serbia, Bahrain and Mexico would be able to access a streamlined process to apply for Tier 4 student visas to study at UK universities.

India was conspicuous by its absence on that list, leading to an outcry among student groups and other senior leaders.

According to the London Mayor's office, the number of Indian students coming to the UK is falling from a peak of nearly 24,000 a year in 2010-11 to a low of around 9,000 a year in 2015-16.

Khan attributed this decline to wider perception issues related to UK visas in India.

"During my trade mission to India last year, I was told regularly by politicians and business leaders that the UK's approach to immigration was the single biggest barrier to strengthening our economic ties," said Khan, who had led a mayoral delegation to India in December 2017.

"This is not simply a concern in boardrooms: it is widely discussed in the media and the UK is characterised as hostile to Indian nationals in general, and students in particular," he added.

The Mayor pointed to statistics that indicate Indian businesses invest more in the UK than in the rest of Europe combined and employ around 110,000 people in the country.

"With the continuing uncertainty we face around Brexit, the government should be doing everything it can to safeguard businesses' future access to talent," Khan said.

In changes to its immigration policy tabled in Parliament last month, the UK Home Office had announced a relaxation of the Tier 4 visa category for overseas students.

Countries already on the student visa trusted list included Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Botswana, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, the UAE, the US and Taiwan.

The 11 countries added to the list include China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Mexico, Bahrain, Serbia, Dominican Republic, Kuwait, Maldives and Macau.

The home office said that India did not meet the "required criteria" to be included on this expanded list, referred to as Appendix H.

"However, Indian students will experience no change in the service that they receive when applying for a student visa," a Home Office spokesperson said.

There is no limit on the number of genuine Indian students who can come to study in the UK, and the fact that last year saw a 30 per cent increase in Tier 4 visas issued to Indian students is proof that the current system allows for strong growth in this area, the spokesperson said.

"We are committed to a close relationship with India. This is clearly seen by the fact that Indian nationals make-up around two-thirds of all Tier 2 [work] visas issued by the UK and we issue more skilled worker visas to Indian nationals than to all other nationalities combined.

"India also has the most UK Visa Application Centres of any country in the world and we are determined to continue our work to bring the UK and India closer together," the spokesperson said.

More For You

Bangladesh seeks US deal to shield garment industry from tariffs

Workers are engaged at their sewing stations in a garment factory in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, on April 9, 2025. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Bangladesh seeks US deal to shield garment industry from tariffs

BANGLADESH, the world's second-biggest garment manufacturer, aims to strike a trade deal with the US before Donald Trump's punishing tariffs kick in next week, said the country's top commerce official.

Dhaka is proposing to buy Boeing planes and boost imports of US wheat, cotton and oil in a bid to reduce the trade deficit, which Trump used as the reason for imposing painful levies in his "Liberation Day" announcement.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK business district
The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions in London.
Getty Images

Bond yields ease following Starmer’s support for Reeves

THE COST of UK government borrowing fell on Thursday, partially reversing the rise seen after Chancellor Rachel Reeves became emotional during Prime Minister’s Questions.

The yield on 10-year government bonds dropped to 4.55 per cent, down from 4.61 per cent the previous day. The pound also recovered slightly to $1.3668 (around £1.00), though it did not regain all its earlier losses.

Keep ReadingShow less
modi-trump-getty
Modi shakes hands with Trump before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 25, 2020. (Photo: Getty Images)
Getty Images

Indian exporters watch closely as Trump says trade deal with India likely

THE US could reach a trade deal with India that would help American companies compete more easily in the Indian market and reduce tariff rates, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday. However, he cast doubt on a similar deal with Japan.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said he believed India was ready to lower trade barriers, potentially paving the way for an agreement that would avoid the 26 per cent tariff rate he had announced on April 2 and paused until July 9.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kolhapuri sandal sales surge in India post Prada controversy

Customers shop for 'Kolhapuri' sandals, an Indian ethnic footwear, at a store in New Delhi, India, June 27, 2025. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Kolhapuri sandal sales surge in India post Prada controversy

INDIAN footwear sellers and artisans are tapping into nationalist pride stoked by the Prada 'sandal scandal' in a bid to boost sales of ethnic slippers with history dating back to the 12th century, raising hopes of reviving a struggling craft.

Sales are surging over the past week for the 'Kolhapuri' sandals that have garnered global attention after Prada sparked a controversy by showcasing similar designs in Milan, without initially crediting the footwear's origins.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK business district
The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions in London.
Getty Images

Economy grew 0.7 per cent in Q1 2025, fastest in a year

THE UK economy expanded at its fastest pace in a year during the first quarter of 2025, driven by a rise in home purchases ahead of a tax deadline and higher manufacturing output before the introduction of new US import tariffs.

Gross domestic product rose by 0.7 per cent in the January-to-March period, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, confirming its earlier estimate. This was the strongest quarterly growth since the first quarter of 2024.

Keep ReadingShow less