British exec warns vs abuse of student visa

A SENIOR British migration official has raised concern on the rising fraudulent visa applications from the Philippines, particularly on the abuse of student visas being used by unskilled workers seeking jobs in Britain.

Barbara Woodward, director of the United Kingdom Border Agency International Group, said the Philippines remains on the top 10 list of countries with the highest visa applications. Manila’s rate of approval for visa application remains at 80 percent.

“We had some serious problems with student-visa applications because there are a lot of those [applying for student visa] intending not to study but to work. These applicants are at risk because they end up not being paid well by employers in Britain because they lack work permits,” said Woodward in an interview with the media over the weekend.

She, however, said the British market is still keen on accepting Filipino migrant professionals, where Britain has skill shortage, including engineers and nurses.

Woodward visited the Philippines and met with an official of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to strengthen cooperation to stop fraudulent visa applications from the country.

She said the British government received some 45,000 visa applications from the Philippines in 2009, with 19 percent or 8,500 being student-visa applications.

“However, 50 percent of student-visa applications in 2009, or 4,250, were rejected because they were found to be questionable.”

Woodward said that instead of using student-visa applications to enter British borders, “we encourage skilled workers [from the Philippines] to apply for work visa and not student visa.”

Also, the Philippines remains on the list of countries with rampant use of fraudulent documents being submitted for visa applications. These include fake bank statements and fake public-sector documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, as well as academic certificates.

In 2008 Woodward said there were some 47,000 visa applicants from the Philippines. Topping the list of applicants were for students, followed by seamen who would like to enter Britain, and business and leisure visitors.

She said there were already 7,500 visa applicants from the Philippines in January 2010 alone.

Meanwhile, despite the global financial crisis, Woodward said many British companies are attracted to invest in the Philippines because of its attractive and flexible market.

The Philippines remains as a regional hub for British investments. This is also due to the current competitive salary, good communication skills and strong underlying business support. –Estrella Torres / Reporter, Businessmirror