Visa delays emerge as hurdle for UK and US bound students

Many international students face long visa processing times when applying for studies in both the United States and the United Kingdom which disrupts their academic schedule. More than half of 2000 students across 100 international countries took part in a survey by INTO University Partnerships which found that 60% encountered delayed confirmation of their university placement. A significant 21% mentioned visa appointment together with processing delays as their main cause of delayed confirmation decisions. 

• Students missed their orientation sessions because visa approvals were delayed establishing that delayed visa approvals were the reason for the misses. Travel and accommodation delays create extra stress to student populations and simultaneously generate financial problems for those involved.

• Students who cannot wait for resolving visa delays are looking for study opportunities in places other than the UK and US. Students prefer countries with smooth visa procedures because they aim to avoid long visa processing delays.

• Visa processing delays emerge because of both rising application numbers together with administrative backlogs which cause the delays. Relevant authorities must address these problems promptly because educational organizations together with student advocacy groups want to protect both international education from disruption and retain the UK and US as leading study destinations.

• Prospective international students should apply for their visas early while keeping track of processing times so they can reduce the possibility of delays in their applications.