Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 4 November (HL2634), whether (1) nationality or country of origin, and (2) the status of the institution as a university or college, are factors taken into account in the process for determining which international students applying for a visa to study in the UK should undergo an interview to assess that their course of study is genuine before a visa is issued; and what equality impact assessment has been carried out on the operation of these arrangements.

Interviews are conducted with international students as part of the visa application process in order to confirm that the applicant meets the requirements of the UK immigration rules, in particular that he or she is a genuine student. A number of different factors including the status of the institution are taken into account to assess the potential level of risk that an applicant might pose to the UK border and these are used to determine whether or not an interview is required.