After Canada, which has already relaxed immigration rules for students and their parents, now it is Scotland's turn to relax visa rules for non-European Union international students. A team from Scotland is here to attract students from Punjab.
Students henceforth will be allowed to stay and work in Scotland for two years after they complete their graduation.
"Scotland has launched a fresh talent scheme, which will give greater opportunities to Indian students to live and find work in Scotland. It will be a major step forward from the present situation, which require students to return to their country soon after graduation, if they have not been able to find employment and obtain the necessary work permit" said Jane Oliver, international officer of Napier University, who was recently in the country.
Oliver, who is on a special mission to represent Napier University of Scotland, revealed that the university, situated in Scotland capital Edinburgh, offers a variety of courses including business management, accounting and finance, MBA, HRM, drug design and biomedical sciences, mechatronics, communication engineering, information systems/technology, software engineering, multimedia, marketing, nursing, journalism, tourism, materials technology, advance networking etc.
He revealed that along with other staff members of Napier University, he would visit India on a regular basis, to interview the students for on the spot admissions in the university.
While further explaining the new scheme, Oliver said that during the two years covered by the scheme, students did not need a work permit and therewas no restrictions on the kind of jobs taken.
The job did not always directly relate to studies and students could also choose to be self-employed for the period of their stay, he added.
Nilesh Tandon, director-international affairs, British Counselling & Education Services, who was accompanying Oliver said, "Students graduating with a higher national diploma from a Scotish education college or a first degree, master's degree or Ph.D from a Scottish higher education institution will be eligible to apply under the new scheme."
He claimed the BCES is representing Napier University in India and has eight officers in the north of the country including Gurgaon (head office), Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Ambala, Chandigarh, Lucknow and Delhi.
The competition seems to have already begun to fetch more and more students from India especially from Punjab.
Earlier, followed by Canada's liberalisation of its immigration rules for students and families, the University of Windsor had opened three free help desks in Punjab to attract aspiring students from the state.
The help desks at Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Chandigarh organised by the Windsor University, Canada, in collaboration with B N Overseas Education services, have received overwhelming response from the aspiring students from Punjab. As many as 25 students received admission in the foreign university through the Jalandhar help desk only.
