The Home Office has included an additional 11 countries to the list of 28 nations whose students can apply for a UK visa via a streamlined application process.
The nations now added to the exclusive group include China, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand, Cambodia, Bahrain, the Dominican Republic, Kuwait, Macau, the Maldives and Serbia.
In the updated policy, they join a number of powerful world nations including the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, whose students have been able to gain rapid access to UK visas for a number of years.
According to the Home Office, the decision has been made to exclude India from the list due to an apparent fall in applications from Indian students following the abolition of post-study work visas in 2012.
Commenting in a press statement, the Home Office said: “Students from an additional 11 countries, including China, will be able to provide a reduced level of documentation when applying for their Tier 4 visa.
“All students from these countries still need to meet all requirements under Tier 4 and UK Visas and Immigration reserves the right to request this evidence in full and will do so for a random sample of applications.”
UK immigration minister Caroline Nokes added that she feels the update openly demonstrates the continued focus of the government on boosting the country’s offering to international students.