He pointed out that he had absolutely no plans to extend his stay beyond the period applied, since he had already bagged a lucrative job in his hometown, and had only four months to go before the acknowledgement of his thesis. He was also asked to pay a hefty sum as per visa processing fee by a ?reliable agent?. At this point, he raised an alarm, and the response of the international blogging community was overwhelming. Ultimately, he did manage to get the visa renewed. But the experience had embittered him, and after completing his work, he did not even stay back to attend the formal convocation ceremony, leaving actually before his visa expired.

The government statistics office confirmed that foreign students were responsible for contributing three billion pounds to the national coffers annually. They are paying more tuition fees than their British counterparts, spending for housing and food, for special English or other courses as required, taking a number of extra tests as well, apart from other miscellaneous expenditures. An added fee for visa extension was put in from 2004, and prices have only been hiking since then. Ben Osawe, officer, National Union of Students (NUS), pointed out that the fee hike rates in some cases are exceeding even the national currency inflation rates, and this was totally unjustifiable. The problem is that it is difficult for the government to keep an eye on all the private institutions. Home Office officials have been tightening investigations into affiliations lately, thanks to several cases of bogus institutions being reported. Other usual problems being faced by the foreign students include accommodation. Landlords are taking unscrupulous advantage of their need to get accommodation fast and their ignorance, and are charging much higher for both lodging and amenities. Many of the institutions that promise ?extras? like pick-up facilities from the airport, English introductory classes, orientation courses, cultural tours around the city, turn back on their words, and charge the students for the ?free? facilities.

Despite all the sobering thoughts noted above, foreign students are still thronging to the shores of the UK. There are several reasons behind this:

The future looks hopeful enough, as long as the government does its duties too.