The UK government plans to reduce the number of international students in universities over fears that too many applicants outstay their visas once their courses end.
At the Conservative party conference in October, UK home secretary Amber Rudd proposed the number of international students should be slashed through tougher visa rules for “lower quality” universities and courses. However, the cut in numbers is rumoured to be far greater than previously thought.
The Home Office has, however, quashed the rumour about cutting the number of students to two-thirds, to 100,000 students a year by stating it is “categorically untrue.”
In a statement about its plans to reduce the number of study visas issued, the Home Office said: “We want to strengthen the system to support the best universities – and those that stick to the rules – to attract the best talent. The British people have sent a clear message that they want more control of immigration and we are committed to getting net migration down to sustainable levels in the tens of thousands.”
According to some universities, good overseas applicants have already been refused visas on insubstantial grounds. University heads have expressed their disappointment at the news, with a few senior university sources stating that the cutback is expected to be far more severe than projected.
If implemented, the decision will have a significant economic impact, as international students contribute more than £10.7 billion to the UK economy, according to Universities UK, the vice-chancellors’ umbrella group.
The Teaching Excellence Framework may be used to decide which institutions and courses to cut. Some of the leading research universities, including King’s College London and London School of Economics, are not expected to score well in the new ranking system, vice-chancellors have warned.
Vice-chancellor of Cardiff University, Prof Colin Riordan, believes changing the visa rules is unnecessary. “There is already a system that is stopping any abuse. If they are refused a visa, they aren’t coming here, so where is the problem?”
