DHAKA, Jan 31 (BSS) - The UK Border Agency has temporarily
suspended accepting student visa applications under Tier 4 of the
Points Based System at visa application centres in Dhaka,
Chittagong and Sylhet which will be effective from February 1.

"This is a temporary suspension and the agency will begin
accepting Tier 4 visa applications again as soon as possible," it
said in a press release here today.

The release said the agency took the decision in response to
unexpectedly high numbers of student visa applications in these
areas at this time of year in parts of South Asia, and will
therefore, stop accepting any new applications under the Tier 4
student route in affected areas, including Bangladesh, Nepal and
North India.

"The temporary suspension will allow the UK Border Agency to
continue to scrutinise applications thoroughly and to manage the
visa process efficiently for all our customers in Bangladesh,"
the release said.

Customers who have already made appointments at the visa
application centres in Bangladesh to submit their Tier 4 visa
applications from February 1 onwards will have their appointments
suspended until the UK Border Agency begins accepting Tier 4 visa
applications again in these areas, and will then be given
priority.

Customers who are making applications in other visa
categories will not be affected by this decision , the release
said.

Chris Dix, Regional Director of the UK Border Agency, said
in a statement that "The UK Border Agency remains committed to
providing an efficient visa operation for all our customers. We
aim to process applications fairly, thoroughly and as quickly as
possible. We will also take whatever action is necessary to
ensure that the visa operation works effectively."

"The visa operation will continue to work hard to process
the student applications that we have received so far and ensure
that they all meet the required standard. We will review the
temporary suspension in one month's time," the release said.

Stuart Percival, UKBA Operations Manager, at the British High
Commission in Dhaka said, "I am keen that genuine students from
Bangladesh continue to study at high quality institutions in the
UK. This temporary measure is designed to protect genuine
students, professional agents and good education providers. We
will continue to review the situation and hope that a normal visa
service will be resumed for genuine students who want to study in
the UK".

BSS/PR/SH/KU/1657 HRS