London Higher believes the impact of several changes announced in today’s immigration white paper risk threatening both the country and capital’s position as a world-leading destination for international students. Several of these changes are out-of-step with the ambitions of the government’s growth mission and the London Growth Plan. International students are of great benefit to the UK, bringing in billions to our economy, making up a crucial part of the talent pipeline, and helping extend the UK’s soft power globally.
The proposed levy on higher education providers’ international student income risks creating additional financial pressure on higher education institutions at a time when the sector is already facing significant challenges. International student fees are essential to maintaining institutions’ financial sustainability, supporting research excellence, and subsidising domestic education.
London Higher urges the government to work with the higher education sector to produce measures which support rather than undermine the financial sustainability of our world-leading higher education institutions.
The reduction of the graduate route visa from two years to 18 months puts the UK at a competitive disadvantage. The graduate route visa is a significant factor for prospective international students when choosing their destination for study. This shorter timeframe makes hiring international graduates less attractive to employers and sends a damaging signal to prospective students worldwide.
London’s businesses benefit from the creativity and global connections that international graduates bring, supporting the capital’s competitive edge in emerging technologies, and for this reason, we welcome the commitment to support entrepreneurial talent through reviewing the Innovator Founder visa.
London Higher’s new Chief Executive, Liz Hutchinson, says:
The question isn’t whether the UK can afford to welcome international students. It’s whether it can afford not to. Anything that signals to potential applicants that the UK isn’t a place for them puts at risk ambitions to shore up our economy, to be a world leader in research and development and to deepen the UK’s influence on the global stage.
As the voice of London’s higher education sector, London Higher stands ready to collaborate with the government and the wider higher education sector on a policy response that protects and builds on the economic, cultural, and research contributions of global talent and London’s long-held reputation as a premier destination for international students.
