Visa checks delayed students due to start in January
The Home Office has written to UK universities explaining that mandatory checks caused what it called unavoidable delays for students due to start in January. For those affected the consequences are practical: late arrival into a course already running, accommodation paid for but unoccupied, and in some cases a deferred start. If a visa decision is outstanding, tell the university before the course starts rather than after. Being an international student in the UK covers the process.
Maybe a graduate tax was the better idea
With the repayment threshold frozen and graduates paying more than they expected, Wonkhe revisits the option rejected two decades ago: a straightforward progressive graduate contribution rather than a loan that behaves like a tax while being described as a debt. The system students are in now has the drawbacks of both and the clarity of neither.
How to see what the Student Loans Company holds about you
The Student Loans Company has published guidance on making a subject access request — the legal route to obtain the personal data it holds on you. It is the tool to use when an assessment looks wrong, when a household income decision cannot be explained, or when a disputed payment needs a paper trail. Responses are due within a month.