Rishi Sunak to restrict number of foreign students in UK to control migration
London: UK PM Rishi Sunak is considering reducing the number of foreign students in a bid to lessen the rising net migration into the country, reports said. Notably, this week’s data by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed a huge increase in the number of migrants, which certainly set off the UK government’s concerns about rising migration.
Rishi Sunak is looking to impose curbs on foreign students pursuing ‘low quality’ degrees and bringing in dependents, a BBC report said quoting a Downing Street spokesperson. “We’re considering all options to make sure the immigration system is delivering. The prime minister is fully committed to bringing overall numbers down,” the UK PM’s spokesperson said on Friday.
International students, particularly Indians who even surpassed the Chinese for the first time to make up the majority of student visas, contributed majorly to the spike in migration.
On the other hand, an Indian community-led students’ organisation on Friday urged the UK government to not consider international students in the country’s immigration statistics.
‘Students who are in UK temporarily, should not be counted as migrants’
“Students who are in the UK temporarily, should not be counted as migrants. International students, of which Indians are the biggest cohort, bring a net revenue of GBP 30 billion into the British economy,” said Sanam Arora, Chair of the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK.
Challenges in controlling migration
It is important to note that controlling the number of migrants by restricting the number of foreign students is a little tricky as universities charge foreign students a higher fee to balance the lower fee charged to British students. Some universities might be risking bankruptcy if restrictions were to be imposed on the so-called ‘low quality’ degrees.
As per ONS, the net migration to the UK rose from 173,000 in 2021, to 504,000 in 2022.
