March 18th 2011 - "UK MPs warn curb on
student visas 'could damage education sector'"
Source - Evening Standard
The UK's £40 billion education sector could be crippled by the
Government's proposals to tighten restrictions on student visas, a report found today.
Both the UK's reputation and the international student market could
suffer if plans to reduce the number of non-EU migrants coming to study in the UK
have unintended consequences, MPs said.
The proposals are based on data that "are not fit for purpose and
could inhibit effective policy making", they said.
The Commons Home Affairs Select Committee said a new system
should be brought in as a priority.
Government plans to end the links between study and work should also
be scrapped, it said.
Keith Vaz, the committee's chairman, said: "Generating policy based on flawed evidence
could cripple the UK education sector.
"In the case of international students this could mean a significant revenue and reputational
loss to the UK
'"We strongly urge the Government to examine the data which it currently uses to extrapolate
migration figures and recognise that for any genuine student the doors to Britain's fine
education institutions are always open.'
"If the door is shut they will simply study elsewhere."
He went on: "Students are not migrants. They come from all over the world to study here,
contributing to the economy both through payment of fees and wider spending.
"Whilst we are right to seek to eliminate bogus colleges and bogus students, we need to
ensure that we continue to attract the brightest and the best."
The Government plans to tighten the rules governing student visas as part of efforts to fulfil
its pledge to reduce net migration from 200,000 to the tens of thousands by 2015.
But the MPs said their wide-ranging review of the system raised concerns "that a number
of the proposals could have serious unintended consequences".
Proposals to close the post-study work route were also attacked by the committee, which
said it should ideally be maintained "in the light of the use of post-study work options to
attract the best students by our main competitors in the higher education sector".
Government plans to make non-EU students return home before they
can apply for a new visa were "too onerous", the committee said.
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has today recommended that 8 job titles be removed from the UK shortage
occupation list. This follows the MAC's recommendation last month that 71 occupations be removed from the list of occupations that
qualify for Tier 2 of the points-based system. This is to meet the government's objective of raising the skill level of Tier 2 to National
Qualifications Framework level 4 and above (NQF4+).
They were "likely to lead to a decline in the retention rate for the high quality students the
UK's research facilities most desire", the MPs said.
"We are not convinced of the need to change the status quo," they added.
The report also criticised Government plans to increase the minimum language requirement
for students and said there was "scope for confusion" over which language tests would be
appropriate.
The plan to limit non-EU students working off-campus "is likely to lead to anomalies and
unintended consequences".
The MPs also said "a more reliable system of data collection than the International
Passenger Survey" was needed as the foundation for immigration policy.
Exit checks should also be brought in "as a priority", they said.
The MPs added: "We are concerned that a policy based on flawed evidence could damage
the UK education sector and could have wider implications."
Despite the United Nations' requirement for students to be included in migration figures,
the MPs said they were "not persuaded that students are in fact migrants".
Shadow universities minister Gareth Thomas said universities were "hugely worried about
the financial implications of a big drop in overseas student numbers" which would help to
drive up tuition fees for home students.
"The Government needs to listen to the concerns the Home Affairs Select Committee raises
and make sensible changes that help to protect the funding overseas students bring into this
country for university teaching and research."
But immigration minister Damian Green said: "This Government recognises the important
contribution that international students make to the UK economy, but the old student visa
regime neither controlled immigration nor protected legitimate students from being exploited
by poor quality colleges
"We want to refocus the student visa system as a temporary route and one that is not open
to abuse."
Sir Andrew Green, chairman of campaign group Migration Watch UK, added: "The
Government must keep its nerve and crack down on abuse while minimising any collateral
damage to the education sector."
English UK, which represents 450 accredited language centres, warned that the
Government's proposals carried "potentially dangerous consequences".
Chief executive Tony Millns said: "We are calling on the coalition to read this report carefully
before finalising any policy changes around student visas."
Christina Yan Zhang, the international students officer for the National Union of Students
(NUS), said: "The Government's plans are poorly targeted and the potential for knee-jerk
policy-making to simply reduce the headline immigration figure risks the UK losing a great
many students from outside the EU who are economically and culturally irreplaceable."
Universities UK, the vice-chancellors' umbrella group, said abuses in the system needed
to be tackled, but welcomed the report's recognition of "the likely unintended consequences
of the Government's initial student visa proposals".
Professor Steve Smith, the group's president, said the UK could not afford to repeat "costly
mistakes" like those made previously in the USA and Australia.
"International students coming to universities contribute more than £5 billion each year to
the UK economy through tuition fees and off-campus expenditure. At a time of financial
austerity, this issue is of immeasurable importance to the UK."
To discuss the UK MPs warn curb on student visas 'could damage education sector' and how they may affect you,
or if you have further enquires on immigration to the UK, Singapore, Australia or the USA, please contact Ambler Collins Visa
Specialists and we will undertake a complimentary assessment of your eligibility.
Email us at: info@amblercollins.com
Adrian Dawson
AmblerCollins Immigration & Visa Specialists
Eden House
59 Fulham High St.
London SW6 3JJ
United Kingdom
Ph + 44 (0) 20 7371 0213
Fax + 44 (0) 20 7384 4504
E-mail: adrian@amblercollins.com
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If you have further enquires on immigration to the UK, Singapore, Australia or the USA, please contact Ambler Collins Visa Specialists and we will
undertake a complimentary assessment of your eligibility. Email us at; info@amblercollins.com
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