UK ‘failing to address foreign students issue'

RISING global competition to attract international students has led to a sharp fall

in the number of Indian students coming to UK universities, a new report commissioned

by the government warned on Tuesday (11).

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) was tasked by the Home Office to study the

impact of international students in the UK and recommend any changes to the country’s

visa regime that might be required.

It acknowledged the drop in Indian student numbers in recent years but put that down largely to “adverse” media coverage.

“The UK’s market of students from India has fallen sharply in recent years, while remaining

stable for those students from China. The number of students from India fell from a peak of 24,000 in 2010-11 to fewer than 10,000 in 2016-17,” the report said, adding that it reflected a fall by 11 percentage points since 2010.

“This is probably connected to the ending of some sponsor licences and the change in

the post-study work offer. There has also been adverse coverage of the UK as a place

to study in the Indian press,” it said.

Among the MAC’s recommendations were an overall “easier” transition from student to work visas for talented applicants, including extending the limited post-study leave period from the current three to six months for masters students. But it dismissed the need for an exclusive post-study visa route, seen as central to attracting students from countries like India.

University chiefs have been campaigning for a dedicated post-study visa route, most

recently with representative body Universities UK proposing a new Global Graduate Talent Visa to allow qualified international students to work in a skilled job in the UK for

a period of two years after graduation.

Professor Janet Beer, president of Universities UK, said the organisation, which represents

the country’s 136 leading universities, was “disappointed” with the report’s main recommendations.

“The ability to work in a skilled job for a limited period after graduation is, for many

prospective international students, an important part of the overall package when

deciding where to study. An improved post study visa would put us on a par with what is offered by countries such as the US, Canada and Australia,” she said, warning that growth

in student numbers will only be possible if the UK adopts a more encouraging immigration

system.

The MAC report also concluded that there was no case for international students to be

removed from the government’s annual migration targets.

“If there is a problem with students in the target, it is with the target itself rather than

the inclusion of students in the target,” said MAC chairman Professor Alan Manning in

his foreword to the report.

Campaigners warn that for as long as the UK continues to count international students

as long-term migrants in net immigration figures, there is continued pressure to

reduce those numbers and adds to the perception that overseas students are not really

welcome in the UK.

“The good thing it (MAC) does is to explicitly call out that the government’s net migration target is a political target, and therefore a problem in itself. But it shoots itself in the foot by then recommending that students stay within this target,” said Sanam Arora, chair of the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK, which has been campaigning for a friendlier visa regime for Indian students.

“The post-study work visa is the key thing required, so what is the point of issuing recommendations and reaffirming findings we all already know if you’re not going to do

anything about it,” she added.

A British Chambers of Commerce spokesperson added, “Businesses around the UK will be bitterly disappointed not to see support for the removal of overseas students

from the immigration statistics”.

The MAC’s recommendations will now be considered by the government in any future

changes to immigration policy.