Students should remain in net migration figures, govt told
Students should continue to count towards the UK's total immigration figures, the government's independent adviser has said, throwing Theresa May a rare lifeline on the issue.
A new report, published this morning by the Migration Advisory Committee, acknowledged international students brought "clear benefits to the whole of the UK", and their ongoing inclusion would make it harder for the government to meet its target of reducing net figures to the tens of thousands.
The report also recommended that no new cap on the number of students be introduced. Around 750,000 foreign students come to the UK each year, the report estimates, putting the total export value of the UK education sector at around £17.6bn.
MAC chair Alan Manning said: "There is no doubt that international students offer positive economic benefit, including cross-subsidising the education of domestic students and research… If the government’s industrial strategy is to be a success it needs a vibrant higher education sector and it is impossible to imagine that without significant and strong recruitment of international students."
He added: "There is no evidence international students adversely affect the wider communities in which they live. Opinion polls suggest most people in the UK have a favourable view of international students even though they are less positively inclined towards immigration in general."
The committee made a series of recommendations including extending the amount of time after graduation that students are allowed to stay; allowing students who leave the UK after completing their studies to switch their student visas to a tier 2 visa for up to two years; and extending the period in which people can apply for post-study work visas.
However, Manning stressed that despite widespread calls for students to be taken out of the government's net migration target, there were no suggestions for a "practical way in which this might be done and we cannot see a reliable method".
"Even if a method was found, it would be unlikely to make much difference to the net migration statistics because most students leave the country and the ones who do not have to be counted," he added. "If there is a problem with students in the net migration target, it is with the target itself rather than the inclusion of students in that target. Summarising migration policy through the net migration target may give the impression that the government seeks to reduce the net migration of all types of migrants including students."
Jasmine Whitbread, chief executive of business group, London First, said: “The MAC has recognised that international students are a boon to the economy, contributing £2.3bn each year in the capital alone.
“With firms struggling to fill skills gaps and vacancies outstripping the people available to fill them, it is economic madness to send these talented youngsters packing as soon as their studies are over.
"That’s why the Government should bring back a post-study work visa, take students out of the net migration target completely – and better still – scrap it.
"The government must send the clear signal that the UK is open to global talent when it publishes its post-Brexit immigration plan and give our businesses every opportunity to hire some of the very best people from around the globe.”