Entry Clearances: Students

Mr. Lilley
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether those applying to extend their student visa are asked whether they have previously had their visa extended.

Mr. Byrne
[holding answer 21 January 2008]: When a student applies for an extension to their student visa the application form requires the student to provide details of their previous studies if the student has previously been granted permission to study in the United Kingdom. Their application is supported by their passport or travel document which will include their previous visa extension.

Mr. Lilley
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what checks are made on whether students whose visas are extended for further academic study attend their new courses.

Mr. Byrne
[holding answer 21 January 2008]: One of the provisions of the student rules is that a student needs to provide evidence of enrolment from an institution on the Register of Education and Training Providers before an extension may be granted.

If a student fails to attend, the institution must provide details to the Border and Immigration Agency on demand.

When a student applies for an extension to their leave, the application form requires the institution to provide written confirmation of the student’s attendance.

Under the proposed new Points Based System, there will be a mandatory requirement on institutions to report non-attendance of their students. This will be supported by sanctions on the institutions and may include removal from the sponsorship register for failure to meet this requirement.

Mr. Lilley
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many student visa extensions were granted for students (a) to pursue a full-time recognised degree course, (b) to pursue a weekday daytime course involving a minimum of 15 hours per week, (c) to attend a full-time course of study at an independent fee paying school, (d) to re-sit an examination, (e) to write up a thesis, (f) to follow a nursing training course at a recognised nursing educational establishment, (g) as a sabbatical officer and (h) for another purpose in 2006.

Mr. Byrne
[holding answer 21 January 2008]: The information in the form requested could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records only at disproportionate cost.

However, statistics on decisions on applications for an extension of leave to remain are published in chapter 4 of the Command Paper ‘Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2006’. This publication may be obtained from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html