Green ‘turning over stones’ for student visa abuse
By politics.co.uk staff
“Unpleasant” abuses of Britain’s immigration rules have been discovered by the Home Office, the immigration minister has claimed.
In a speech today defending the expected government crackdown on student visas, Mr Green said: “I believe attracting talented students from abroad is vital to the UK but we must be more selective about who can come here and how long they can stay.
“People imagine that students come here for a few years to study at our universities and then go home – that is not always the case.
“Too many come to do courses below degree level as a cover for staying and working,” he continued.
“I have been turning over the stones in this area, and I have to report that some unpleasant things have crawled out. We need to stop this abuse.”
Opponents of reform insist that a crackdown on student visas will damage the UK, by deterring talented young people from around the world to come to the country.
But the government believes many below-degree level courses are being undertaken so would-be students have a cover while they take up work in the UK.
