Loans to foreign students blocked

Large numbers of students from mainland Europe face being blocked from taking out loans at British taxpayers’ expense after it emerged that thousands of Bulgarians and Romanians attempted to wrongly claim more than £65 million (US$110 million) of public money, writes Graeme Paton for The Telegraph.

Ministers have pledged “stringent new measures” to prevent students from European Union member states claiming financial support in Britain amid fears over widespread abuse of the system.

David Willetts, the universities minister, said Europeans must be resident in the UK for five years – rather than three at the moment – to claim loans for living costs under major plans to prevent wrongful claims. He also pledged tougher action on EU students who return to their home country after graduating without paying back loans.
Full report on The Telegraph site