Immigration reforms and future of Tier 1 (PSW)

[fibreman]

True. I have two friends who already changed their decisions. They are holding unconditional offers from the UK unis but shifted to the USA because of all these disputes!

Actually, I think that those students who are graduating this year are not secured yet. There is no official announcement and publication about PSW yet. Remember the latest announcements about PSW. They told us that it is going to remain the same. And what are we getting now?!

Well but the explicit announcement that PSW will be open until 2012 means something, if there were any major tweaks they would have announced them or put a statement about PSW differently...

The last policy announcement was not directly related to PSW, even though it covered Tier 1 and 2, in one of the documents UKBA said that PSW would come as part of the student visa package, so was subject to changes...

They are gonna lose so many students with these restrictions!

I agree... but so far, we atl know that those finishing this year will be ok.
No definite news about any other TA so far...

This simply means what it says.

[akshay.saswade]

i have been going through this thread for a long time....i got an unconditional offer to the final year(top-up) which will be starting in september...since they annouced yesterday that psw will be closed from april 2012..can i apply before that period of time...any information would be very very helpful..

[skepticalgod]

I was so happy to get admission to london school of economics but yesterdays consultation report has made me feel very dissappointed. The huge tuition fee was already a burden & psw was a hope to reduce that burden. now the psw stopper has made things worse I really want a miracle now

[ArgieBee]

[quote="skepticalgod"]I was so happy to get admission to london school of economics but yesterdays consultation report has made me feel very dissappointed. The huge tuition fee was already a burden & psw was a hope to reduce that burden. now the psw stopper has made things worse :( I really want a miracle now[/quote]

The end of PSW is not as bad as it seems. Students will get preferential treatment moving to tier 2 general e.g. no RLMT and no cap. It just means you must find a graduate job that pays more than £20k which should be no problem for someone graduating from the LSE.

[skepticalgod]

I was so happy to get admission to london school of economics but yesterdays consultation report has made me feel very dissappointed. The huge tuition fee was already a burden & psw was a hope to reduce that burden. now the psw stopper has made things worse I really want a miracle now

The end of PSW is not as bad as it seems. Students will get preferential treatment moving to tier 2 general e.g. no RLMT and no cap. It just means you must find a graduate job that pays more than £20k which should be no problem for someone graduating from the LSE.

Even if there is any sort of preferential treatment still the realization that the 2 years have gone down to 4 months will haunt me for the 2 years of study & will definatley put a lot of pressure on me. moreover i have no idea about willingness of employers to sponsor for the tier 2

[ukswus]

I was so happy to get admission to london school of economics but yesterdays consultation report has made me feel very dissappointed. The huge tuition fee was already a burden & psw was a hope to reduce that burden. now the psw stopper has made things worse I really want a miracle now

The end of PSW is not as bad as it seems. Students will get preferential treatment moving to tier 2 general e.g. no RLMT and no cap. It just means you must find a graduate job that pays more than £20k which should be no problem for someone graduating from the LSE.

But still, Tier 2 is Tier 2. There are certain regulatory restrictions (eg CoS) that not many employers will want to put up with.

Plus, they said "20K, or the prevailing wage for the occupation, whichever is higher". It might as well be considerably higher than 20K.

[ukswus]

I was so happy to get admission to london school of economics but yesterdays consultation report has made me feel very dissappointed. The huge tuition fee was already a burden & psw was a hope to reduce that burden. now the psw stopper has made things worse I really want a miracle now

You best bet is another country.

[Tier 4]

I don’t want to be blackmail by any sponsor holding Tier 2 licence. PSW was perfect for me as a self employed artist, HO left nothing for us.

[ginger_beer]

i think i can safely assume that not having an actual visa that allow you to start working immediately, instead requiring to be sponsored would close many doors for potential employments ..

[jlewisunh]

I was so happy to get admission to london school of economics but yesterdays consultation report has made me feel very dissappointed. The huge tuition fee was already a burden & psw was a hope to reduce that burden. now the psw stopper has made things worse I really want a miracle now

The end of PSW is not as bad as it seems. Students will get preferential treatment moving to tier 2 general e.g. no RLMT and no cap. It just means you must find a graduate job that pays more than £20k which should be no problem for someone graduating from the LSE.

But still, Tier 2 is Tier 2. There are certain regulatory restrictions (eg CoS) that not many employers will want to put up with.

Plus, they said "20K, or the prevailing wage for the occupation, whichever is higher". It might as well be considerably higher than 20K.

once again you're being too hard on tier 2. if you get an offer and you work hard and they like you, and if they're registered...they'll give you a sponsorship. i mean why wouldn't they? it's more common sense than it is bureaucracy/limitations they won't want to put up with.

but yes i can obviously see the problem if one hoped to have freedom to look for work after studies without having a sponsor. im quite surprised they changed it so drastically.

[ginger_beer]

I was so happy to get admission to london school of economics but yesterdays consultation report has made me feel very dissappointed. The huge tuition fee was already a burden & psw was a hope to reduce that burden. now the psw stopper has made things worse I really want a miracle now

The end of PSW is not as bad as it seems. Students will get preferential treatment moving to tier 2 general e.g. no RLMT and no cap. It just means you must find a graduate job that pays more than £20k which should be no problem for someone graduating from the LSE.

But still, Tier 2 is Tier 2. There are certain regulatory restrictions (eg CoS) that not many employers will want to put up with.

Plus, they said "20K, or the prevailing wage for the occupation, whichever is higher". It might as well be considerably higher than 20K.

once again you're being too hard on tier 2. if you get an offer and you work hard and they like you, and if they're registered...they'll give you a sponsorship. i mean why wouldn't they? it's more common sense than it is bureaucracy/limitations they won't want to put up with.

i think you can't even 'work hard' and make them like you, without a sponsorship at the first place ?

i know from experience (i worked in singapore before) that for candidates without a valid visa to work in a country, your resume is often immediately binned into the reject pile .. without even looking at it

[jlewisunh]

well of course you can't work in a country if you don't have a work visa. that much is obvious. im just making the point that if someone is a good student and they put the effort in and especially make the effort to secure work for themselves before their visa is up, they should be ok. most visas are good for the length of your course plus 4 months. so when your course ends you essentially have those 4 months to approach employers.

[Aryan2013]

well of course you can't work in a country if you don't have a work visa. that much is obvious. im just making the point that if someone is a good student and they put the effort in and especially make the effort to secure work for themselves before their visa is up, they should be ok. most visas are good for the length of your course plus 4 months. so when your course ends you essentially have those 4 months to approach employers.

You are living in an academic/theoretical world, all I can say is people are 100% right, when they say it’s hard to get Tier2 and you will realise this once you enter the real/practical world.

I’ll prefer my freedom over ‘slavery’ any day.

[Aryan2013]

here is my prediction....

there will be an uproar in coming few months, especially october onwards, when universities will learn hundreds of international students haven't enrolled themselves in! even though they have unconditional offers

fingers will be pointed at the glorious coalition and their policies.

some universities will be forced to either hike up tuition fees further OR will be forced to limit their spendings to run certain departments, especially the courses involving technical labs etc.

by the start of the new year, 2012, they will see the true drop in number of international students when compared to previous years. universities will start to announce budget deficits and point finger at you-know-who.

and by the end of next by-elections or whatever, their majority will start vaporising and then they will start giving it a proper thought rather than just looking at the over-simplistic equation of how many are coming in the country and how many are leaving the country!

obviously it will take some time and there is a possibility that at least one batch of students will be the victim of their actions..

the end (of my predictions)

I agree with you Arsenal and also I think the pressure will start to mount on govt. to exclude the student number's from the number game and eventually it will happen, once this ill-thought policy starts to show its true impact i.e billions lost.

[jlewisunh]

well of course you can't work in a country if you don't have a work visa. that much is obvious. im just making the point that if someone is a good student and they put the effort in and especially make the effort to secure work for themselves before their visa is up, they should be ok. most visas are good for the length of your course plus 4 months. so when your course ends you essentially have those 4 months to approach employers.

You are living in an academic/theoretical world, all I can say is people are 100% right, when they say it’s hard to get Tier2 and you will realise this once you enter the real/practical world.

I’ll prefer my freedom over ‘slavery’ any day.

What are you talking about? It's simple. If your main goal is to work after your studies to gain the work experience, then you can take active steps to make it happen. Of course it will be hard, much harder than psw as it is now, but it can still be done. Opportunities need to be made by yourself; they rarely come knocking. If you're set on retaining your 'freedom' remember you have it while you study. You can use the time to try and find a place for yourself in a job you will like. Best of luck.

[ginger_beer]

well of course you can't work in a country if you don't have a work visa. that much is obvious. im just making the point that if someone is a good student and they put the effort in and especially make the effort to secure work for themselves before their visa is up, they should be ok. most visas are good for the length of your course plus 4 months. so when your course ends you essentially have those 4 months to approach employers.

You are living in an academic/theoretical world, all I can say is people are 100% right, when they say it’s hard to get Tier2 and you will realise this once you enter the real/practical world.

I’ll prefer my freedom over ‘slavery’ any day.

yes, going into tier 2 general is rather similar to US' h1b visa ..

employers will squeeze you as they know that you have not much options in leaving for a better job because your visa is tied to a specific employer. In comparison, the psw is so much better as it grants you freedom to move about as necessary to escape poor working conditions.

i'm running out of things to say at this point, and any further discussion tends to just devolve into a whining contest .. just hoping that they'd give the 6 months period to find the graduate job as mentioned once. So in essence, when added to the 4 months until the student visa ends, it becomes almost 10 months in total. I also agree with the above post that uproar will happen as international students enrollment drop rather significantly for the coming sept/oct.

[arsenal49]

once again you're being too hard on tier 2. if you get an offer and you work hard and they like you, and if they're registered...they'll give you a sponsorship. i mean why wouldn't they? it's more common sense than it is bureaucracy/limitations they won't want to put up with.

theoretically, this is how things are suppose to work out but... reality for most international students in this country is...

The recruitment drive begins at the start of (final) acadmic year and continues towards the middle term of their (final) year.

If you are an international student and, you send out your CV to prospective employers at the start of (final) academic year, they simply say, well, we are not even gonna look at your app as its not worth our time since even if we LIKE you, you wouldnt be able to start work straight away after graduation, as you dont have (or will have psw) visa.

So thousands of students are forced to wait until they graduate and get a work visa i.e. post study and then apply again effectively saying we can start work for you pretty much tomorrow!. This is more attractive to employers and so they employ you...

if you are good enough in your job for 6 months or so... employer will be much more open to the pain of going through the process to become your sponsor as they are happy with your work and dont want to lose you...

but NOW most students will be forced to go home after studies are finished as PSW is no real option for them... and that is why many people are very sad, even angry, at the govt. policy changes.

[jlewisunh]

arsenal i PM'd you can you take a look?

[jlewisunh]

once again you're being too hard on tier 2. if you get an offer and you work hard and they like you, and if they're registered...they'll give you a sponsorship. i mean why wouldn't they? it's more common sense than it is bureaucracy/limitations they won't want to put up with.

theoretically, this is how things are suppose to work out but... reality for most international students in this country is...

The recruitment drive begins at the start of (final) acadmic year and continues towards the middle term of their (final) year.

If you are an international student and, you send out your CV to prospective employers at the start of (final) academic year, they simply say, well, we are not even gonna look at your app as its not worth our time since even if we LIKE you, you wouldnt be able to start work straight away after graduation, as you dont have (or will have psw) visa.

So thousands of students are forced to wait until they graduate and get a work visa i.e. post study and then apply again effectively saying we can start work for you pretty much tomorrow!. This is more attractive to employers and so they employ you...

if you are good enough in your job for 6 months or so... employer will be much more open to the pain of going through the process to become your sponsor as they are happy with your work and dont want to lose you...

but NOW most students will be forced to go home after studies are finished as PSW is no real option for them... and that is why many people are very sad, even angry, at the govt. policy changes.

Yes I agree with everything you say and has been said. PSW is better than tier 2, of course. I just make the point that it isn't impossible to work after studies with the new changes. Perhaps I am too optimistic but I believe if you want something badly enough then you can make it happen. Or die trying!

[ginger_beer]

once again you're being too hard on tier 2. if you get an offer and you work hard and they like you, and if they're registered...they'll give you a sponsorship. i mean why wouldn't they? it's more common sense than it is bureaucracy/limitations they won't want to put up with.

theoretically, this is how things are suppose to work out but... reality for most international students in this country is...

The recruitment drive begins at the start of (final) acadmic year and continues towards the middle term of their (final) year.

If you are an international student and, you send out your CV to prospective employers at the start of (final) academic year, they simply say, well, we are not even gonna look at your app as its not worth our time since even if we LIKE you, you wouldnt be able to start work straight away after graduation, as you dont have (or will have psw) visa.

So thousands of students are forced to wait until they graduate and get a work visa i.e. post study and then apply again effectively saying we can start work for you pretty much tomorrow!. This is more attractive to employers and so they employ you...

if you are good enough in your job for 6 months or so... employer will be much more open to the pain of going through the process to become your sponsor as they are happy with your work and dont want to lose you...

but NOW most students will be forced to go home after studies are finished as PSW is no real option for them... and that is why many people are very sad, even angry, at the govt. policy changes.

Yes I agree with everything you say and has been said. PSW is better than tier 2, of course. I just make the point that it isn't impossible to work after studies with the new changes. Perhaps I am too optimistic but I believe if you want something badly enough then you can make it happen. Or die trying!

of course if the UK government doesn't want us with our fancy skills and degrees, there are always other countries to go elsewhere

[blue.olive]

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitec ... policy.pdf

[cruxifixo]

SO GUYS ARE THEY SAYING POST STUDY WORK VISA WILL REMAIN THE SAME UNTIL APRIL 2012. NO CHANGES/AMMENDMENT WHATSOEVER WILL BE MADE UNTIL 2012?

[sehmett]

Right, we have to wait a final publication to say.

[Tired4]

[b]Hey jlewisunh,[/b]
I have watched this thread growing constantly and everyone expressessing their concerns and sharing their worries including you... and when PSW's existence was still jeopardized, i saw you so worried all the time and proclaiming that it's so injustice and illful thought to remove PSW anyway and even according to you it was a sin to remove it for current students but since you have found out you are safe, you are taking it so easily and preaching the other members to accept it and work hard to go under tier2!!... when I believe being a true member you should encourage them by saying that we will support them even we are safe... I will complete my MSc IT by the end of July 2011 but still if there is any contribution in I could make for current students passes after APR 2012 in oppose this injustice I would very much ready... and [b]jlewisunh[/b], to be honest understand the real defination of being the member of a group or team, or you better stay individual!!

Thanks

[sehmett]

Guys, even if those who graduate in 2011 are safe, the main question and concern of this group is still the same. What are the TA for current students?