AS WITH previous years, the number of students entering the UK is increasing, especially among the south Asian community.

I have a recent example of a cousin of my own who, as with many other thousands, gets false illusions of work and life here in the UK.

The people responsible for this are agents who continue to fill their pockets on all potential loopholes and ways to enter the UK via other means. Immigration has been a hot topic for the last few years and will again be one of the top issues up for discussion at our next general election.

This weekend, a local Gurdwara in Southall has had members of the community donating food provisions so that some of these students can have a meal, as they are penniless.

The system is flawed, as they pay fees to attend colleges that the vast majority of us have not heard of, in obscure locations in central London.

Some of these students, who qualify via a points system, do not have basic proficiency in speaking, reading or writing English; so how can they expect to come here and even work part-time, which they can as part of their visa?

Surely they should be demonstrating this before being granted visas.

It is a burden on their families, who work hard to pay for the child to come over under false promises and illusions.

Yet these agents and our government are pocketing from this while these students are struggling to make ends meet.

So what next for them? How are they to survive? Sadly, some will end up resorting to a life of crime.

HARMINDER DUHRA Southall Via email