All Chinese students who apply for Tier 4 (general) visas in China will be required to participate in an interview beginning in early June, according to the latest notice issued by the British government, National Business Daily reported.

The Tier 4 visa is part of the UK’s points-based system for immigration. It is for adult students who want to come to or remain in the UK for their post-16 education, according to the UK Border Agency (UKBA).

In fact, the UK visa application center had randomly selected some Tier 4 visa applicants from China which were received before April 29 for interviews.

All Chinese students who apply for the Tier 4 visa in China after April 29 will receive an interview handbook that gives a brief introduction to the interview process. The students are later invited to take part in a video interview with visa officers from Sheffield, UK the report said.

Considering the short period of time from the policy being announced to its implementation, both international educational organizations and visa applicants already feel unprepared.

In recent years, Chinese overseas students and Chinese immigrants have contributed much to the UK’s education industry, social economy and tourism industry, yet frequent changes in immigration policies by the UKBA have often left Chinese applicants confused.

On April 6, 2012, the ‘post-study work’ visa was discontinued, which has directly affected international students wanting to study in the UK. Due to the discontinuation of the post-study work path, the majority of foreign students who graduate from universities will not be allowed to stay in the UK, however, the so-called ‘brightest and the best students’ may apply for a skilled workers visa in order to remain in the country.

With higher visa fees and harsher conditions, the process of the approval procedure is still complicated and the Home Office, a ministerial department of the British Government which overseas domestic affairs, still cannot provide satisfactory service to applicants.

Tanya，an expert from the UK Visa & International Education Center said the instability of immigration rules in the UK has brought a great deal of trouble to Chinese applicants and these rules have seriously influenced the applicants’ academic plans. She also suggested that applicants should consult the official Visa Application Center and professional immigration visa agency to avoid being misled.

The immigrant visa route and the administrative services in place are new topics for the British government. In 2008, the government began introducing a points-based immigration system from Australia to make ensure the approval procedure was more transparent, impartial and effective. When this system was introduced it meant that visa officers were to consider each applicant by only examining and verifying the application documents.

However, the interview system will resume in China beginning in June, because visa officers have been unable to verify the authenticity of the application materials without conducting any interviews. So in terms of the immigrant application system and administrative system behind it, the British government still has a long way to go.

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