Richmond at the media briefing in Kampala yesterday

By Vision Reporter

UGANDANS intending to study in the UK will have to meet stricter visa entry conditions, according to the British High Commission. UK entry clearance manager Susanah Richmond told journalists at the Media Centre in Kampala yesterday that students going to study below degree level will only work 10 hours a week, down from 20 hours.

Those intending to study for less than six months, will no longer be allowed to take their dependants along with them, she said.

Dependants of students taking a course lower than degree level will not be allowed to work.

Furthermore, students must also have a good command of the English language, Richmond said.

This is the second time in a space of one year that the UK is tightening guidelines for students.

Under the system introduced early last year, students are required to prove that they have been accepted onto a course run by a UK Border Agency licensed education institution.

They also have to prove that they can support themselves in the UK.
Richmond also disclosed that the number of Ugandans applying for visas to the UK had declined from 9,000 in 2008 to 7,900 last year.

The decline is attributed to the closure of the UK visa office in Kampala, in a restructuring which saw local applicants have their visas processed in Kenya or Ethiopia.

Richmond said visa applications should continue to be made at their visa facilitation services at Communications House in Kampala as has been the case before.
“As is currently the case, visa applications will be processed within 15 working days,” said Richmond.

She also defended the high visa fees charged to unsuccessful applicants saying, “The money is used to process the application.”

Data estimates from the UK High Commission in Uganda show that a total of 8,000 Ugandans applied for visas to the UK in 2007, the figure increased to an estimated 9,000 in 2008, but declined to the current estimates of 7,900 last year.

Richmond explained that 50% of visa applications to UK were rejected in 2009.
“Half of those who applied were issued visas, it’s a 50, 50%,” said Richmond.

She said a bigger number of Ugandans apply for visitor’s visa, followed by those applying as students and others applying to join husband, wife or partner in the UK.

UK Home Secretary Alan Johnson while announcing the guidelines in London said “We want foreign students to come here to study, not to work illegally, and today we have set out necessary steps which will maintain the robustness of the system we introduced last year. I make no apologies for that.”