“The visa delays are like nothing we have ever seen before,” said Sushil Sukhwani, founder and director of Indian agency Edwise International. “There are delays [and] increased processing times for both priority and super-priority visas from all locations in India.”
Delays were also reported in sub-Saharan Africa. The autumn intake was the last chance for most students to bring their spouses and children before the dependents ban comes into effect in January 2024.
Agents working with students who have missed their start dates said that while some are planning to postpone, others are now looking at alternative options to the UK.
The average processing time for student visas was three weeks in May 2023, when data was last published, in line with Home Office targets.
Responding to claims of visa delays, a Home Office spokesperson said, “We continue to meet our target of processing straightforward applications within 15 days, with even faster times for our priority services.
“Where applications are complex and we need further information or checks, decisions may take longer. This is to prevent abuse of our immigration system and bogus students, such as those using the route to claim asylum in the UK.”
Jamie Hastings, director of education agency MYiO, said: “Student visa delays are common at peak times, especially before the September intake when thousands of student applications are submitted every day.
He suggested setting up a working group between UKVI and key stakeholders “to review the opportunities and challenges… to reduce future delays and identify areas that can be streamlined”.
“The costs of student visas, priority processing and the health surcharge are high, so people paying these costs expect a level of service that reflects what they are paying for,” Hastings added.
Fees for student visas rose by 35% in October, meaning a student applying from overseas will now pay £490.
Agents in some markets also said visa refusal rates appeared to be rising for the next intake in January.
Naz Panju, director of education agency BCIE, said her organisation hadn’t experienced problems with visa processing directly, but had been approached by university partners for support after their direct-entry students from Nigeria received unexpected refusals.
“They’ve had some delays in processing applications and we’ve also had refusals that are … unusual,” she said.
She added that visa refusal rates have generally been lower in recent years and this could be a sign that UKVI is becoming more discerning.
“If it’s happening, it’s good for the industry,” Panju said.
Early data suggests that recruitment to the UK from India and Nigeria may be in decline after a boom period, and Home Office statistics also show that growth in the number of visas issued has started to slow in 2023.
In a joint statement, BUILA and Universities UK International confirmed that some institutions had reported visa delays affecting September intake, but added that other global issues had affected recruitment more broadly.
“International student recruitment appears to have been affected by increased overseas competition – with the US and Australia reporting strong growth and returning to pre-Covid levels – changes to UK visa policy, and changing economic circumstances, particularly in China and Nigeria,” the organisations said.
“With the full impact of the UK government’s reforms yet to be felt across the sector, and international student recruitment becoming increasingly competitive, it will be important for BUILA and UUKi to continue to work closely together to support our combined membership and monitor recruitment trends in the run-up to January and beyond.”
