UK Visa Rule Change Puts Maharashtra State Scholarship Students at Risk of Rejection
Hundreds of students from Maharashtra face the risk of student visa rejections following a recent change in United Kingdom immigration rules that disqualifies state-funded scholarships. The Nagpur-based socio-legal organisation, 'The Platform', has raised concerns that the new policy issued by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) only accepts funding from national or federal governments as official financial sponsorship, leaving state-sponsored students in limbo.
The policy shift impacts students from scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes (OBC), VJNT, SBC, minority communities, and general categories who secured admission to UK universities under various Maharashtra state government scholarship schemes.
In response to the crisis, 'The Platform' has written to the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Office and several state departments, including the social justice, tribal development, minority development, and other backward bahujan welfare departments, alongside the directorate of technical education, seeking immediate intervention.
Beyond the sponsorship rule change, the organisation highlighted that the state's current maintenance allowance is insufficient to meet the updated UK immigration requirements. Currently, Maharashtra provides an annual maintenance allowance of £9,900 (₹12,84,913) for students heading to the UK. However, the latest UK guidelines require students to demonstrate access to at least £13,761 (₹17,86,058) for a nine-month course in high-cost cities like London.
To resolve the administrative impasse, 'The Platform' has proposed three key measures to the state government. First, it has urged the state to coordinate with the Union Ministry of External Affairs or the Ministry of Education to secure national-level endorsement for the scholarship funds. Second, it demanded an increase in the maintenance allowance to match international living costs. Finally, it requested that all scholarship approvals and fund releases be completed by May or June annually to prevent visa processing delays.
"This is purely a technical and administrative gridlock that the Maharashtra government must resolve immediately," said Rajiv Khobragade, a member of 'The Platform'. He warned that a failure to act swiftly would damage the academic future of the state's brightest students and impact Maharashtra's international reputation.
Senior officers from the affected state departments stated they were previously unaware of the policy changes but promised to study the new rules and implement appropriate measures.
The foreign education scholarship scheme was introduced by the Maharashtra state government in 2018. It supports eligible students pursuing studies at foreign universities ranked in the top 200 of the QS World University Rankings.
