BBC News November 2022
The UK Government is considering curbs on foreign students taking “low quality” degrees and bringing dependents, Downing Street said. The PM’s spokesman said the idea was being looked at after official figures showed net migration to the UK had climbed to a record half a million. But they declined to define a “low quality” degree or to “pre-empt” any policy decisions. A government migration adviser warned it would bankrupt many universities. The Times has reported that plans to bring down numbers could include restricting admissions to top universities, as well as restricting visas for students’ dependants. Home Secretary Suella Braverman has previously complained about foreign students “bringing in family members who can piggyback onto their student visa” and “propping up, frankly, substandard courses in inadequate institutions”. But moves to reduce foreign student numbers could meet resistance in other parts of Whitehall.
• UK net migration hits all-time record at 504,000 • Politicians tough on immigration but numbers rising
• Braverman: We have failed to control our borders Chancellor Jeremy Hunt insisted immigration was required to boost growth, adding that there had to be “a long-term plan if we’re going to bring down migration in a way that doesn’t harm the economy”. He said migration would be needed “for the years ahead – that will be very important for the economy”. ​
An adviser on immigration policy has warned some universities could go bankrupt if there is a clampdown on so-called “low-quality” degrees. Chair of the government’s Migration Advisory Committee, Professor Brian Bell, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this could “send many universities over the edge,” particularly in poorer regions. ‘Cash cows’ He said: “Most universities for most courses lose money on teaching British students and offset that loss by charging more for international students. “If you close down the international route I’m not sure how the university continues to survive.” He said London, Cambridge and Oxford would continue to do well but “what about Newcastle, what about the north-east, the north-west, Scotland?” He also warned that the policy could result in a “massive increase” in British students’ fees to make up for the loss of foreign students’ payments. The National Union of Students (NUS) said it would be “laughable” if the government made it harder for international students to study in the UK, given the country’s skills shortage. It accused ministers of “starving” higher education of funds, while encouraging the exploitation of foreign students as “cash cows through astronomical fees and violent visa regimes”.
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