The British Government has insisted it will stick to its plans to clampdown on the student immigration route. This follows a call from 68 British universities for the rules to be eased, to help them fend off increasingly intense international competition.
“We are determined to prevent the abuse of student visas as part of our plans to get net migration down to the tens of thousands,” the Immigration Minister, Mr Damien Green, insisted, following the publication of the letter by umbrella body Universities UK, signed by chancellors and chairs of institutions from the London School of Economics, to Leeds and Warwick universities.
Among the signatories are Lord Swaraj Paul, the Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton, and Mr Richard Lambert, the former director general of the Confederation of British Industry.
The universities have called on the UK Prime Minister, Mr David Cameron, to remove international university students from the net migration statistics for policy purposes, in line with the nation's main competitors in this market.
“We believe that this would help government by creating a clear differentiation between temporary and permanent migration, help universities whose international character is essential to their future success, and help the UK by contributing to economic growth,” they said, adding that in an Olympic year when the eyes of the world would be focused on Britain, it was essential to send a clear message that “genuine international students are also welcome in, and valued by, the United Kingdom.”
However, Mr Green rejected the suggestion that the distinction should be made, arguing that international students were not merely visitors, and that public confidence in statistics would be hurt should they revise the way the net migration figures were calculated.
Universities have issued repeated warnings about the changes to the immigration rules covering international students, including limiting their ability to work, and bring dependents and requiring them to return home following the end of the degree.