Official sources said the new system, known as Tier 4, will be more transparent and easily understood and will simplify the existing immigration rules for genuine students and education providers.

The new student visa system under the Points Based System (PBS) will require colleges and universities to report about the international students who fail to attend courses after gaining student visas, they said.

Licensed To Invite
   * A new immigration proposal says a person abroad can be invited by a British citizen only if he has the licence to do so.

• It will be the responsibility of the licensed host to ensure his guests return before their visa expires
  
• If the guests don't return, the host will have to pay a hefty fine and even face imprisonment
  
• The new law will mostly impact those who aren't rich enough to stay in hotels.
  
• Group visas for tourists will continue.

As the Home Office put it, "People will have to become licensed to sponsor family members to
visit from abroad under the proposed changes to the visa system." A proposal so far, but who will oppose it? Not the Conservative party, for which immigration rules can never be strong enough. Not perhaps the Liberal Democrats either, ahead of an election where every party's nightmare is to be seen as 'soft on immigration'.

The proposal will have to go through Parliament, and that may happen quietly. Under the law, the secretary of state has authority to make rules on immigration. These rules will not require amendments to primary legislation unless, theoretically, the opposition were to demand it. Changes in basic law are usually such that they draw long debates, unlike those in rules, because they come in the nature of nuts and bolts of a law in place. So, Britain looks set to have now an upper strata of licensed hosts.

Valid for outbound travel before October 31 this year, the Jet Airways' promotional offer can be availed by both existing and new students travelling to destinations in the US, UK, Canada, Europe and Asia.

"Students availing this offer will be allowed to carry an extra piece of baggage, with each piece not exceeding 23-kg weight on flights to destinations in US, UK, Canada and Europe, apart from an additional 10 kgs on flights to Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok in Asia on Jet Airways' online destinations," Jet Airways' chief commercial officer Sudheer Raghavan said here today.

The exclusive 'Students Kit' offered to students would contain a Matrix mobile connection with free talk-time worth Rs 4,000 in US, UK, Singapore and Australia.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the regulator of technical educational institutions in India, has since late June served notices to over 104 institutes for partnering foreign universities without AICTE's approval.

The AICTE has also served notices to 169 other institutes, including some of the big names in the private education sector, for conducting unauthorised technical courses.

"We will collaborate with some of the leading universities of Australia. In USA, we are entering into arrangements with several leading educational institutes, including Stanford University, in March 2009," Ajesh Gugnani, PTU director (operations), said at a press conference here.

The university has entered into tie-ups with Britain-based Birmingham City University, New College Nottingham, University College and City College Norwich this June, he said.

"These tie-ups will help PTU students in India to continue their studies abroad without any hassles," said Gugani.

He said the institute was looking at possible agreements with universities in Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"We have collaboration offers from 129 universities of Gulf countries - the majority being from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. At present, we are going through their detailed profiles before taking any decision," he said.

Keeping in mind the demand for management professionals in all industries, the PTU will start advanced courses in hotel, retail, risk and insurance management from its August session.

Part of the Prospecting Services Division of EducationDynamics, StudyAbroad.com surveyed more than 1,000 students outside of the United States who showed no flagging of interest in pursuing a degree from an American university, with an eye on establishing a career in the States after graduation.

Homework does wonders
First things first. It helps to have a clear understanding of one's abilities and plan accordingly. According to Usha Albuquerque, Director Career Smart Pvt Ltd, "The problem with most students is that they lack a proper standpoint on what they want to study and why. They have vague ideas about courses, colleges and syllabi." She recommends a thorough analysis of one's performance and a reasonable system of planning based on the same. "There is no point aiming for top rung institutions and losing heart if you don't make it through eventually." So it is advisable to start with a bit of homework. Look up the different courses offered under various uni versities, as well as the scholarship programmes they offer. More importantly figure out first whether going abroad at this stage for a particular course, is going to further your career prospects at all.

Information overload
Herein lies the unfortunate paradox. While the Internet has opened up a vast pool of information, much of it is irrelevant. Filtering the required content out of ocean is a mammoth task, and it's a chosen few who manage to do it effectively. Nonetheless, the Internet can be used as a resourceful tool provided one applies the necessary amount of discretion. A list of some useful websites has been given at the end of this piece. But whenever you use the net, do remember to read be tween the lines.

The increasing number of educational fairs by various countries might prove to be a much safer and more effective source of informa tion. Almost all colleges and universities of the participating country make their presence felt, which means that information is served on a platter. The added advantage is that of queries being answered on a one to one basis. "Interacting personally with representatives of various universities helps students to a large extent, in understanding the work and study environment of a particular region," explains Albuquerque. In addition to this, the educational wings of various Embassies in India are also useful for students seeking course and college specific information. But if a personal guide is what you seek, there are counsellors available to assist you. "We have counsellors specialising in problems which students face while going abroad. In our organisation, for example, we have somebody exclusively catering to problems of such a nature, who guides the student through every step of the admission procedure," elucidates Albuquerque.

Seventeen-year-old Yash Sahai, who wants to pursue an engineering degree either in Massachusetts or in Cornell University in the US, is interested in transfer study programmes. He has been attending career choice counselling sessions at the American Centre, with at least 50 students, to know more about these. The teenager is a first-year engineering student.

Education Abroad ensures success for everyone: It provides opportunities for success and it is up to the individual to utilise these opportunities. It is good for all those students who know exactly why they are opting for it and what outcomes they expect. Don't go to study abroad because your neighbour's son did well there.

I will wait for IIT-JEE results and then decide: Most foreign colleges have very early application deadlines. Application deadlines for August/September admission may be as early as November 1 of the preceding year. It is important to make the decision about 12 to 18 months in advance of the enrollment date. The entire process from decision to study abroad to actual admission involves several steps spanning more than 12 months.

It is not within the reach of a middle class student: While it is true that the total cost of studying (including living expenses) at a foreign university is about $20,000, equally true is the availability of financial assistance for eligible international students. Estimate availability of funds and realistically assess the prospects of financial assistance from the institution abroad.

I can take admission to a lower ranked institution and then get a transfer: Transfers are possible but are not a suitable option for all academic levels and programmes. There is also the possibility of loss of academic credits while transferring, not to mention loss of time, money and energy.

For Chandini Steve, 17, the motivation for seeking admission to a B.Sc. course in Tourism Management at University College, Birmingham, UK, was somewhat different. An avid trekker, she wanted to turn her hobby into what she would do for a living--specialise in adventure tourism. Unfortunately, there was no course in India that would let her do that. Some soul-searching and Internet surfing later, she found what she was looking for. Now she is ready to join the course in September this year. That will certainly put her on a good trajectory to live her ambition. It will also cut out the delay that going through undergraduate studies in an unrelated field in India would have caused.

Pachisia and Steve are just two of the increasing number of Indians going to college abroad. Indians have been going to foreign institutions for post-graduate and doctoral courses since time immemorial. But the current trend is towards leaving even earlier. Foreign education counsellors say they are getting an increasing number of queries on graduation courses abroad. Stoking this trend is the swelling of ranks of India's mass affluent urbanites.

STEP I: CHOOSE YOUR FIELD
By the time you are through with school you should have an idea of the area that you want to build your career in and/or what you are good at. The choice of the exact course and specialisation can then follow.

Delhi student Mujtaba Hakak, 18, for instance, explains his choice of BBA. "I am from a commerce background. My family also has a business. I want to do an MBA after this from a reputed university," he says. Ideally, you should start the process around the time you complete your Class XI as it takes about a year to complete.

STEP II: DO YOUR RESEARCH
Victor Rao, general manager, Global Reach, says: "Even before starting off, a student should go through the information that is available on various websites." It may be time-consuming and confusing, but there is no substitute to being well informed.

Hakak, 18, who had applied to five UK universities, says, "I did a lot of homework on the Net. I checked out universities, their location and their reputation." When he finally landed up at the office of education consultancy The Chopras in Delhi, he had a fairly good idea of his options.

STEP III: GET GUIDANCE
The next place to go to would be the official educational representatives of the countries in India. (See Choosing A Guide)

Alongside, you can take help from agents and/or educational counsellors, who can guide you throughout the entire process. Sircar advises caution here: "Check if the counsellor is an  approved agent. You can even check with the colleges concerned. Do a background check. You can also tap into alumni networks and contact Indian students who have used an agent to get recommendations."

Arindam Mukherjee, eastern region development officer for The Chopras warns of consultants who represent a few universities and hardsell them and also of those who assure you a visa. The latter may often be frauds. Word of mouth is usually reliable. Hakak went to The Chopras, as his cousin had before him.

Charges. The services of the official representatives are mostly free. Agents, however, make money from commissions from colleges and service fees from students. Some take a refundable deposit that you lose if you do not take admission through them. US universities don't give agents a cut, so counsellors often charge a package fee for five to six universities. You can budget for around Rs 10,000 for these services, says Sircar.

STEP IV: pick the place
This is a bit tricky. Ideally, this should depend on where the best course in your field is offered (see Countries and Courses). Singh, who also wears the hat of the president of the Association of Australian Representatives in India (AAERI), says: "While the US is known for research, the UK scores in pure studies, and Australia in applied sciences and vocational courses."

• STEP V: SELECT THE COURSE
  
• STEP VI: APPLY EARLY
  
• STEP VII: TAKE THE TESTS
  
• STEP VIII: ORGANISE THE FUNDS
  
• STEP IX: GET INSURED
  
• STEP X: APPLY FOR A VISA
  
• STEP XI: ARRANGE ACCOMMODATION
  
• STEP XII: BEFORE LEAVING