LONDON－Britain's interior ministry, the Home Office, said on Dec 18 it plans to extend a streamlined visa processing program for international master's students. It follows a pilot project, now in its second year, at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Bath and Imperial College London.

The pilot program for international students looked at students wanting to study on a master's course of up to 13 months or less in the United Kingdom.

It also provides greater support for students who wish to switch to a work visa and take up a graduate role, by allowing them to remain in the UK for six months after they have finished their course.

Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis said: "The expansion of this program is part of our ongoing activity to ensure that our world-leading institutions remain highly competitive.

"The UK continues to be the second most popular destination for international students and the number coming to study at our universities has increased by 24 percent since 2010. This is a clear indication that genuine students are welcome and there is no limit on the number who can come to study in the UK."

A Home Office spokesperson said: "Universities taking part are given responsibility for eligibility checks, meaning that students can submit fewer documents than required in the current process alongside their visa applications. All students will continue to require Home Office security and identity checks."

The most recent Home Office statistics show that the number of students applying for visas increased by 8 percent over the past year, and there has been a 9 percent increase in the number of students applying to the UK's Russell Group universities.

The 23 additional universities will be able to apply the program for their 2018/19 intake. The universities were selected as their visa refusal rates are consistently the lowest in their area or region.

The 23 universities to be added to the program are: Cardiff, Goldsmiths University of London, Harper Adams, Newcastle, Queen's University Belfast, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Bristol, Durham, East Anglia, Edinburgh, Essex, Exeter, Glasgow, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Reading, Sheffield, Southampton, University of Wales Trinity St David (Swansea Campus), Warwick and York.