The global closure of visa offices due to the pandemic will have consequences on the application of international students to universities.
VFS Global, an outsourcing company that manages visa applications for governments, has raised an alarm that multiple visa application centers around the world are closed due to pandemic.
The closure of these centers has made it difficult for international students to apply for universities. In many countries, these centers are used to collect biometric information, documents and also conducting in-person interviews for visa applicants.
Low international students admission
Agents for international students are worried that if these offices are not reopened, or measures such as waiving in-person interviews and online application of visas are not implemented, the university intake in September will be abysmal. This will spell revenue losses for many universities who rely on these students to balance the books.
Vivienne Stern, director of Universities UK International, said students are not able to come to the UK for studies. She continued by saying it was no longer a speculation that universities will be adversely affected, the question was by how much and how long will the effect of the pandemic last in the admission of international students.
Stern also noted that, once the offices are reopened, there will be a massive backlog of applications. She, however, said the UK Home Office was aware of the problems at hand and would work hard to ensure they process these applications once these offices reopen.
Peter Yetton, head of VISA/assistant academic registrar at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland, added to the topic by suggesting that it will not only depend on the government initiative of reopening these offices.
Visa applicants must also make efforts once the offices are reopened to ensure the smooth running of these centers. If these centers are reopened and international students are still afraid of coming to apply, it will also mean low numbers of admissions in September.
Universities should, therefore, prepare for worse case scenarios where international students will not be able to travel. They must prepare for financial strain, especially for small universities that are heavily dependent on students’ fees.
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