At a time when British universities are hoping for more students from India, the government is hindering their chances by adding even more security measures.
Students in specialised subjects from non-EU countries need to get Approval Certificate
LONDON: At a time when British universities are hoping for more students from India, the government is hindering their chances by adding even more security measures. If you are planning on coming to the UK to do post-graduate studies in subjects like mathematics, nuclear physics or biochemistry than you are likely to face stringent vetting to ensure that you are not a potential terrorist or likely to use your knowledge to make nuclear weapons.
From November 1, foreign post-graduate students from outside the EU are being vetted under the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) when applying for a student visa. Students in 41 specialised subjects, characterised as ‘proliferation risk’, have to obtain a Certificate of Approval before they can apply for the student visa.
The certificate can be applied online, but include questions on family background and links to government bodies and campaign or lobby groups. If an applicant has had a family member convicted of a terrorism-related offense, or been a member of any organisation in their youth which the British government consider ‘suspect’ then they are likely to be rejected.
“The new screening system treats international students with undue suspicion,” said an angry Gemma Tumelty, president of Britain’s National Union of Students. British universities rely heavily on students from the Indian sub-continent to help meet their budget deficits. Foreign students pay more than double the fees of a domestic student and so many cash-strapped universities assiduously woo students from India.
“This is not a very intelligent scheme. It seems unlikely to make a positive contribution to security, and for most students will be an extra hoop to jump through that will encourage them to go elsewhere,” said Peter Littlewood, the chair of the physics department at the University of Cambridge.
The government claims the new scheme is aimed at preventing graduates from non-EU countries using the expertise they get at British universities to develop weapons of mass destruction. The Foreign Office already monitored applicants in ‘high-risk’ subjects, but relied on academic institutions voluntarily providing information on postgraduate students from a list of “10 countries of concern” that includes India, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq.
“It is not designed to be discriminatory to any particular country, but simply to ensure that high-end technology does not fall into the wrong hands. We are not targeting any particular nationalities and it is not a witch-hunt,” said a Foreign Office spokesman.
The new system will make it mandatory for all non-EU PhD students to be vetted. While it will not be applied retrospectively, any students already in the country who want to change courses or go for further education will have to follow the new rules.
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