British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan to respond to record levels of migration with a potential crackdown on the number of foreign students coming to the UK could spark a Cabinet battle on multiple fronts, reported inews.co.uk.
The PM’s office showed that net immigration had reached a record 500,000 last year. There were indications that the PM could back Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s proposals to clamp down on visas for foreign students’ dependents, for those taking “low-quality” degrees, and on student overstayers. But, the inews report pointed out that the plans were still in their infancy, with insiders believing that Braverman could face resistance before they could become a reality.
The PM’s vow came after the Office for National Statistics said net immigration to the UK rose to a record 504,000 in the year to June, driven by an increase in the number of non-EU nationals, with international students and refugees arriving on special schemes accounting for a large proportion of the increase
The Treasury is believed to have concerns that reducing immigration could harm growth, with the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt insisting last week that cutting the numbers could “harm the economy” if there were no long-term plan to raise the skills of British workers. The Office for Budget Responsibility had warned that lower immigration would hit growth and the public finances.
The Department for Education is expected to raise objections that a student visa crackdown could put the finances of some universities at risk, while the Foreign Office will want to ensure the plans do not risk the soft power benefits that international students bring to the UK.
Diplomats are meanwhile understood to be particularly nervous about an immigration crackdown after Braverman singled out Indian immigrants last month as “the largest group of people who overstay” their visas, triggering a backlash from Delhi.
The PM’s vow came after the Office for National Statistics said net immigration to the UK rose to a record 504,000 in the year to June, driven by an increase in the number of non-EU nationals, with international students and refugees arriving on special schemes accounting for a large proportion of the increase.
The Russell Group of elite universities told inews.co.uk that high numbers of foreign students “should be seen as a UK success story”, insisting they would be “critical to meeting the Government’s export strategy to increase education exports to £35bn by 2030” and highlighting official figures showing that those on study visas are 97.5 per cent compliant in leaving when their visas expire.
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