The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has called for a Commonwealth visa programme, in order to tackle the dramatic fall in the number of students from India attending universities in London.
Boris Johnson has proposed to trial the post-study work visa (which allows students to stay and work for two years after graduation) with Indian citizens. If the trial is successful, it will be extended to other Commonwealth students.
The Mayor of London, however, has no power over immigration policy, and neither has his proposal been formally presented to the Home Secretary, Theresa May.
On the other hand, Theresa May seeks to reduce the number of non EU residents settling in the UK.
While the number of Indian students coming to the UK has fallen drastically, the figure has risen on the number of Indians studying in the US.
It is said that the tough UK visa restrictions have made Indian students opt for studying in America, rather than choosing Britain.
The number of Indian students joining UK universities have halved in four years. In the academic year 2009-10, the figures were 23,120, while they dropped to 11,270 in 2013-14.
It is said that during his 3-day visit to the UK, Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi raised this issue with David Cameron.
