Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules

PUBLISHED: 13 July 2015

A new statement of changes to the Immigration Rules was published on 13 July 2015. This latest statement mainly affects Tier 4 Student Migrants. Tier 4:

Amendments have been made to the maintenance requirements for Tier 4 Migrants, increasing the amounts required
All students must show they have sufficient funds to support themselves throughout the duration of their remaining study, or for up to nine months
The length of time a Tier 4 (General) Student may spend studying further education courses will be reduced from 3 to 2 years.
Tier 4 (General) Students at colleges are being prevented from extending their stay in Tier 4 or switching into any other points-based route, unless they are studying at a college recognised by the Home Office as an embedded college offering pathway programmes designed to prepare students for entry to a higher education course
Students at other colleges, who wish to go on to study in a UK university, will have to leave the UK and apply for leave to enter from outside the UK
New students applying to study at publicly-funded education colleges will lose rights to work

Tier 4 dependents will no longer be able to take low or unskilled jobs, from the autumn they will only be able to take part-time or full-time skilled work.