That Girl from Derwent dwells on the value of religion this Christmas.
That Girl from Derwent has learned a few more things about prejudice since moving up North.
That Girl From Derwent reckons if you're going to be offensive, you should find a better reason.
That Girl from Derwent considers why it is that some words have wider implications than others.
As part of a wider shake-up of the immigration system - about time, some might say - the government has acted to tighten controls on potential overseas students coming to British universities.
The new rules, to be introduced in October of next year, will introduce a points system for overseas students and the requirement of a government-vetted college or university to sponsor an individual student. These are on top of financial checks to ensure students are capable of paying a certain amount for their education each year in fees.
These much needed reforms to the way this country deals with overseas students have been a long time in coming. Prior to the new regulations, colleges would be able to offer ‘bogus’ courses, which undoubtedly were no more than a means to low-skilled employment and a dilution of the quality of our education system in the UK. Testament to this assertion is that since 2005, 256 of the 2,000 institutions have been inspected by the government and of those, almost half have been struck off the register completely.
The current system is obscenely open to abuse from students using illegal documentation in order to gain a place to study.
As part of the new rules, a points-based system will be introduced whereby students must gain forty points in order to study in the UK. Thirty of these can be gained when a particular academic institution sponsors an individual, and the other ten are gained on having genuine documentation and the financial ability to support oneself through the first year of study. Only when these points are achieved will a student be granted a full visa to study in the UK. This is in contrast to the current system, which is obscenely open to abuse from students using illegal documentation in order to gain a place to study, often only in order to enter into low-skilled work on achieving qualifications.
Overseas students contribute much to the UK both on a student and national level. The government raises over £2.5bn in tuition fees from overseas students and the expertise they offer the UK economy on graduation is, in the most part, world class. That is why, as part of the new legislation, the government has decided to double the number of years graduates can remain in the UK on graduation from one year to two. The new regulations hold enhanced prospects for overseas students gaining employment in the UK on graduation in the skills sector of work.
What stands out as positive about the new licensing system, is that it does not discriminate against genuine overseas students who come to the UK to study. At the same time, the new rules will ensure that genuine academic institutions are officially recognised and protected by government and not abused by individuals who seek to take advantage of our undoubtedly weak system of border controls and often gain qualification without a full grasp of the native tongue, according to certain academics and students.
Everyone should welcome the news that our government has finally decided to act to protect the status of genuine, hard-working individuals, who choose to come to this country to develop their expertise in our academic institutions. The new legislation will make it tougher for those abusing the current system to do so, and at the same time, enhance the status of the qualifications gained by the majority of overseas students who do not attempt to abuse the system.
There is of course, the (small) matter of implementation. This government is, after all, notoriously useless at sensibly enacting its vast array of new legislation. However for the moment, let’s take this chance to congratulate Her Majesty’s government, dead in the water though it may be, on sensible legislation that addresses a problem that is there for everyone to see.
You can read ISA Welfare Officer George Papadofragakis' views on the new immigration laws here.
"Everyone should welcome the news that our government has finally decided to act to protect the status of genuine, hard-working individuals, who choose to come to this country to develop their expertise in our academic institutions."
I'm not completely sure that having strict attendence records and a lot of other measures is 'protecting' unless you'd likewise count the Jewish Quarters in Poland as 'protecting' the Jews from the rest of the Polish community, etc?
Regardless I think that the balance between the two articles shows us a fairly clear picture of the reasoning behind the measures and the problems with them. ID cards are going to be implemented anyway so it's no big deal... and even though fingerprinting is common (in police stations, the USA and a few other institutions that seem to have no problem with them) it's likely that the government will fail in administration or will lose all fingerprints and declare all foreigners illegal or something daft.
I think that the amount of students that end up dodging and become illegal immigrants is probably quite small and that this cost isn't that justified - it's more of an appearance of doing something whilst doing little. People are already paying a ridiculous tuition fee internationally and so will be generally able to show that they can afford the first year. I doubt that it will stop some illegal immigrants, frankly.
A little kudos for the attempt though, especially for Labour regarding immigration 
comment deleted by the author The number of "students dodging and becoming illegal immigrants" is not small, it is simply zero.
This is not issue of students "doing a runner", as you've put it in the other article.
The problem here is that there are ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS abusing student visas through FAKE colleges to gain entry in the UK.
This is not the same with implying that it is overseas students creating the problem.
The fact that some illegal immigrants MASQUERADE as students thanks to bogus institutions, does not justify the introduction of student IDs and monitored attendance (with whatever they may mean) for all LEGITIMATE OVERSEAS STUDENTS.
The problem is clearly the fake colleges, not all overseas students, so this is what should be targeted.
Jason, your post is ridiculous, and hyperbolic. Claiming that ghettos in Poland are comparable to stricter regulations on students has no relevance, and, once again, you are just posting to demand attention for an enlarged ego. Posts like that really ruin debates.
George, I do not think that false colleges and institutions are the only problems. You've said yourself, some illegal immigrants masquerade as students. Not all such people register with bogus institutions, and these measures should, if done correctly and not pushed to extremes to push down on legitimate students, deter these practices. It is an inconvenience for students to have to trek back and forth for checks, and the demand for attendance registers is somewhat over the top, although I understand that some modules already have registers in lectures. I think Dan is right that some action needs to be taken, as it is unfair to state it is all false institutions, and exempt students from the blame. However, the government must be very careful in how this is implemented, and not make the transition easy for these students, as they are an invaluable boost to the economy.
poor Jason, everyone always picks on him
"I do not think that false colleges and institutions are the only problems. You've said yourself, some illegal immigrants masquerade as students."
I think my point was misunderstood, so let me clarify. It is through those fake colleges that some people can "masquerade as students". Those colleges offer "courses" that do not lead to any approved qualification and their only real function is that of facilitating illegal immigration. So, this is not an issue involving legitimate universities such as York in any way.
Of course we all acknowledge that the abuse of student visas is a very real problem that needs to be dealt. But that doesn't mean that real students should be paying the price for a problem that they simply didn't create.
If we are to target the actual crime offenders, then what we need to be focusing on is how to stamp out the false colleges. I am sorry for being repetitive, but in my opinion this point is where it all boils down to.
Let us also keep in mind that we are not just talking about a boost in the economy, but about people and the kind of treatment that they should be receiving.
"Jason, your post is ridiculous, and hyperbolic. Claiming that ghettos in Poland are comparable to stricter regulations on students has no relevance, and, once again, you are just posting to demand attention for an enlarged ego. Posts like that really ruin debates"
I'm not running for a flipping enlarged ego. I'm making a valid point - the fact that ANY foreign students are immediately treated as potential criminals and are kept under surveillance, isolated and segregated. Obviously suggesting that it's comparable to the start of the holocaust is an "exaggeration" (or at least I hear that's the word you cool young people are using now) - but was pointing out it's not exactly a "free and equal" society.
George, my point wasn't that students were leaving but that there were people who we would count, legally, as students leaving - i.e. yes, of course you're right, but I wasn't disagreeing with you at all...
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