UK Daily Mail reports
Foreign students are to be banned from working in
Britain under a fresh crackdown on immigration ordered by Home Secretary
Theresa May.
When courses finish they will have to leave the
country before reapplying to return for a job. Ministers say the new rules,
which will apply to all those from outside the European Union, will stop
colleges being used as a 'back door to a British work visa'.
Official
figures show that 121,000 non-EU students entered the UK in the 12 months to
June last year, but only 51,000 left – a net influx of 70,000.
The government estimates that the number of foreign
students coming to the UK will rise by more than 6 per cent a year up to 2020.
Home Secretary Theresa May has taken action against 870 bogus colleges, banning
them from taking foreign students.
But the Conservatives have vowed to go further,
without the Lib Dems in power to force the rules to be watered down.
They want to stop student visas being used as an
easy way to enter the UK before getting a job and claiming benefits.
Under the new rules, non-EU students will be denied
the right to work while in the UK and will not be able to apply for a visa
extension when their course finishes.
Students will have to leave the country before
applying to return under a work visa.
The length of stay is also expected to be cut to
two years when the plans are unveiled this week.
Immigration Minister James Brokenshire said it was
'part of our plan to control immigration for the benefit of Britain'.
'Immigration offenders want to sell illegal access
to the UK jobs market and there are plenty of people willing to buy.
'Hard-working taxpayers who are helping to pay for
publicly funded colleges expect them to be providing topclass education, not a
back door to a British work visa.'
Business Secretary Sajid Javid signalled on Friday
that the govermment would stop the education system being abused by immigrants.
He said: 'What we need to make sure – and we do
have this – is that our immigration system allows those from abroad that want
to come to Britain to study in our world-class universities, our fantastic
colleges to come here,' he told the Today programme.
'But we've also got to have a system that doesn't
allow any abuse when people are using the right to study as a way to achieve
settlement in Britain.
'So we've got to break the link and make sure it's
focused on people who want to study and then, once they've had their studies
and completed that, then they leave.'
But universities have warned that any clampdown
could damage the sector and business leaders are also wary of the move, warning
it could rob Britain of vital skills.
Seamus Nevin, head of employment and skills at the
Institute of Directors, said: 'The Business Secretary's proposals to eject
foreign students after graduation are misguided and would damage the British
education system, our economy and global influence.
'Britain already makes it difficult and
artificially expensive for international students to enter and stay, and now
these proposals would eject them ignominiously when their studies are finished.
'Restricting talented workers from staying on in the
UK would damage business and lead to a loss of important skills.
'Shutting the door to highly-trained international
graduates at a time when our economy needs them most would be hugely damaging
for UK businesses.
'In the interests our education sector, our
businesses, and our international standing, the Business Secretary should
reconsider this proposal.'
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