Ninety per cent of the Indian students applying for visa are granted the same within 15 days by the British High Commission and this can no way be an indication of Indian students’ perennial complaint of visas getting rejected for higher education in the United Kingdom.
In fact, there is no cap on the number of visas too unlike the perception among Indian applicants, says Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, British Government. “Students also think it’s a long process, but statistics prove that it is not true,” said the Indian-origin British Conservative Party politician. Mr. Javid, who was on a visit to Hyderabad, spoke to The Hindu on issues concerning both the countries and the areas of strength where both can collaborate for mutual benefit.
On the recent controversy over work visas for students that actually dried up Indian students in the UK varsities, Mr. Javid said that Indian students can work within the permissible limits and can stay on for work after completing their education if they can secure a job equivalent to the degree acquired. The salary payable to such jobs may look huge in Indian currency, but for British standards, it is normal and quality graduates can easily acquire that, he said.
On the concerns of UK’s one-year masters not being recognised in India for higher education, he said both the countries were working out for a solution. “There are several bodies involved in it and we are trying to sort out the issue.”
A delegation of Vice-Chancellors from various British universities is also part of Mr. Javid’s entourage and they are trying for collaboration with Indian institutions in areas where both can mutually benefit sharing their expertise. The Minister, who visited the T-Hub created by the Telangana government, was pretty impressed with the facilities and the ideas where youngsters were working on. “Since London is the financial capital, there is a lot these youngsters and their ideas can benefit from if the tech and financial hubs are linked.”
Mr. Javid, whose father hails from Jalandhar in Punjab and mother from a place near Lahore, said Indian students from the top institutes are on par with the best talent from across the world. He said that Britain is excited about its participation in its country’s growth and revealed the number of scholarships that Britain offers at various levels to Indian students. At the same time, British students coming to India can also benefit in several ways. The banker-turned-politician was quite inquisitive about the biryani served in Hyderabad and wanted to try various restaurants during his next visit.
Earlier, he enjoyed the Hyderabad delicacy at Paradise. On his entry into politics from a lucrative banking career, he said politics was a means to pay back to the society and he developed fascination for it as a youngster.
