The UK Border Agency announces that, with effect from Monday 1 February, it will temporarily stop accepting student visa applications under Tier 4 of the Points Based System at the visa application centre in Kathmandu.
This is a temporary suspension and the UK Border Agency will begin accepting Tier 4 visa applications again as soon as possible. Customers who are making applications in other visa categories are unaffected by this announcement, according to a press release issued by British Embassy in Kathmandu.
The UK Border Agency has taken this decision in response to an unexpectedly high number of student visa applications 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 Nepal and North India, the statement said.
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 Nepal, the statement added.
Customers who have already made appointments at the visa application centres in Kathmandu to submit their Tier 4 visa applications from 1 February onwards will have their appointments suspended until the UK Border Agency begins accepting Tier 4 visa applications again, and will then be given priority.
The UK Border Agency’s Regional Director, Chris Dix, said: “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,” Dix said.
