Vaz: Student visa policy could ‘cripple’ economy
Keith Vaz, chair of the home affairs select committee, commented on the government’s policy on student visas:
“Students are not migrants. They come from all over the world to study here, contributing to the economy both through payment of fees and wider spending.
“Whilst we are right to seek to eliminate bogus colleges and bogus students, we need to ensure that we continue to attract the brightest and the best.
“The government’s policy ought to be evidence-based. Generating policy based on flawed evidence could cripple the UK education sector. In the case of international students this could mean a significant revenue and reputational loss to the UK.
“We strongly urge the government to examine the data which it currently uses to extrapolate migration figures and recognise that for any genuine student the doors to Britain’s fine education institutions are always open. If the door is shut they will simply study elsewhere.”
