Below is a copy/paste from a recent StudyUK/British Council update, very good news for UK educational institutions and those, consultants and education agents, who help promote and facilitate study in the UK.  (I wish the US government were as efficient, detailed, and timely with its updates.  I and many others also wish that the F-1 visa issuance rate was more on par with that of the UK.)  Viet Nam’s refusal rate for the third quarter was only 3.1% (!).  Note the parts in bold red.

Tier 4 Visa Issuance Data
Update for Study Abroad Market Stakeholders

Background

Tier 4 visa issuance data to September 2019 was released earlier this month by the Home Office. This quarter accounts for a large majority of all Tier 4 visas issued throughout the year, which means that it’s a very good indicator of new student recruitment for 2019-20.
The data illustrates strong growth for student mobility to the U.K., which is a testament to the UK offer of academic quality, an excellent student experience and value for money.

Topline Summary

• Overall the total growth was 16.1% compared to the same period of 2018 – the strongest growth since 2010.
• This was largely driven by extremely high growth in the two largest markets, China (+20.9%) and India (+60.9%),
• East Asia has 5 out of the top 10 markets and 62% of the total global issuance
• Vietnam had an increase of 7.5% in Tier 4 student visas in the first three quarters of 2019 as compared to the same period last year, with an absolute number of 2,083 Tier 4 student visas issued.

Note that the recent announcement about the new two-year post study work policy is not the driver for this growth, as students receiving visas in Q3 will have applied earlier in the year before this policy was announced.

Visa Approval Rate

For the first time the Home Office has also published the visa issue rate for each country. For Vietnam the issue rate is 96.9%, meaning that the vast majority of students who apply for a UK Tier 4 visa are successful.

Shalom (שלום), MAA