The government intends to reduce annual net migration to the UK to what they crefer to as ‘sustainable levels’, in the tens of thousands a year. It expects the student route to make its contribution towards reducing net migration to the UK. The UK Border Agency has therefore announced a new consultation which is open to the public in this regard and we are posting this on our website to encourage our many clients and large volume of visitors to participate and ensure that you have an opportunity to have your say on this public consultation. It is evident from the consultation document that the proposals being considered by the Government are a further draconian and backward step in the ongoing immigration debate, none of which is likely to achieve any benefits for the economy. There is one apparent target only, and that is a reduction in non-EU student immigration. We take the view that immigration is a natural part of human evolution and one of the best ways that a Government can introduce new talent and energy into a country. Restricting immigration in the manner suggested is, in our view seriously damaging to the UK economy and will direct talent away from this country toward other, more welcoming countries. This will and in our view is already having an impact on the ability of UK industry and commerce to compete on a global scale. We therefore encourage our readers to take part in this consultation process in the hope that some balance can be introduced to the discussion currently under consideration.

Students now represent the largest proportion of net migration from outside Europe. The Government desire to ensure that the number of international students coming to the UK is broadly in balance with the number leaving. That assumes that every student should leave the UK at the conclusion of their studies. No account is therefore taken of the talent that these students have to offer and opportunities that they offer the UK economy. There appears to be limited logic in the argument that students must leave the UK at the conclusion of their studies, irrespective of whether they have proven talent, an offer of employment and are clearly an asset to the economy.

The government’s policy aim is to ensure that only genuine students who are committed to their academic study come to the UK, with a presumption that upon completion they will leave promptly. This consultation sets out our proposals for achieving this aim.

We ask : Had this policy been in force 50 years ago, how many of the current leaders in commerce, industry, technology and medicine in the UK would have been excluded from this country?

You can download the consultation document and response form here, or

You can respond online to the consultation at: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/student-consult-online (opens in a new window).