Written evidence
submitted by National Union of Students (SV50)
NUS believes that the proposed government target
of reducing net migration—especially by the artificial means
of setting a cap is fundamentally misguided. While it is clear
why in times of economic hardship the British public becomes less
sympathetic to immigration, we believe that the UK can only benefit
from an injection of highly-skilled talent from abroad, to plug
existing skills gaps, to enhance the global competitiveness of
UK industry and business and to ensure the continued success of
the UK's world-leading education system.
NUS believes that international students make a highly
valuable contribution to the health of the UK, and that the UK
Border Agency (UKBA) proposals would impact negatively on the
UK's ability to recruit, retain, and gain the benefits of, international
students.
Rather than seeking artificially to restrict numbers,
it would be better directly to target the minority of "bogus"
colleges and students who are non-compliant under the current
system.
THE VALUE
OF INTERNATIONAL
STUDENTS
The Prime Minister's Initiative for International
Education recognised that the UK's success in the global economy
depends on creating and sustaining strategic education partnerships
around the world. International students who study in UK institutions
contribute to that objective by facilitating knowledge exchange
between cultures and building positive relationships within the
UK that enables UK business to engage and compete globally.
The UK Council for International Student Affairs
(UKCISA) estimates that international students contribute £2.5
billion to the UK economy in university fees alone.[23]
When fees in further education and the private education sector,
along with the economic contribution of international students
to local economies in the purchase of goods and services are taken
into account this figure is much higher. The British Council reports
that the most recent estimate of the economic contribution of
international students to the UK is £12.5 billion per year.[24]
International student recruitment is a key source
of income for universities. International students pay fees typically
between £8-15,000 per year (depending on institution and
subject of study) and this fee income alone represents between
2 and 14% of total income for 80% of the UK's universities.[25]
International student fees also make a valuable contribution to
college income—£42 million annually.[26]
Income from international students enables universities and colleges
to provide facilities that benefit all students, both UK-domiciled
and international. In light of recent cuts to public funding,
this income stream becomes even more important to sustain the
quality of UK education.
UK postgraduate education, in particular, is sustained
by non-EU international students, who make up 41% of all students
enrolled on full-time taught Masters courses in the UK,[27]
and 30% of all research students in the UK.[28]
Postgraduate courses and research are essential to ensure a flow
of individuals with higher-level skills in the UK and to maintain
the UK's world-leading research base.
NUS believes that the benefits that international
students bring to the UK are cultural and social as well as economic.
The presence of international students on UK campuses promotes
intercultural awareness among UK and international student alike
and enriches the student experience. For example, two-thirds of
non-EU international students in higher education responding to
an NUS-HSBC survey on the student experience reporting belonging
to a university club or society-significantly higher than UK-or
EU-domiciled respondents.[29]
Only 1% of all migrants granted settlement in 2009
progressed directly from the study route.[30]
The Tier 4 Points Based System (PBS) came into effect
in 2009. Subsequently new restrictions on Tier 4 immigration came
into force in 2010, including, for example, restrictions on hours
of work permitted during the week for students studying a course
below degree level. It is too early to say what effect these changes
will have on net student immigration, but the administrative burden
on education providers, and the confusing effect on prospective
international students of negotiating constant changes to the
system could be considerable.
As such, measures to restrict the attractiveness
to international students of study in the UK are to be avoided.
NUS believes that UKBA's proposed changes to the system would
impact negatively on perceptions of how welcoming the UK education
system is for international students and thus reduce the UK's
international economic and educational competitiveness.
IMPACT OF
PROPOSALS ON
RECRUITMENT AND
RETENTION OF
STUDENTS
The UK education system has its own internal logic,
and it makes sense for a student with the capacity and means to
study to be able to progress through it with the minimum of complexity.
Familiarity with the system helps to ensure effective integration
and academic success. It is especially in the UK's interest to
enable talented international students to progress from undergraduate
to Masters and PhD level study.
Proposals to restrict sub-degree-level course offering
to Highly Trusted Sponsors would negatively impact on university
recruitment and the academic success of international students.
A minimum of one third of international student places in HE are
recruited from UK sub-degree providers.[31]
Colleges provide opportunities to enhance English in advance of
taking up a place in higher education. They also provide specialist
courses and opportunities in their own right, and they should
not be penalised for the abuse of the system by a minority of
"bogus" colleges. A review of the accreditation system
to ensure that colleges that genuinely offer high-quality courses
below degree level are able to go on doing so would be a better
policy.
Proposals to require international students to show
evidence of progression to a higher-level course are based on
a misunderstanding of student progression through education. Students
may wish to change course, to take a lower-level course in order
to prepare for higher-level study and in certain cases, to take
two degrees at the same level consecutively for professional reasons.
For example, it is not uncommon to take two one-year Masters programmes
consecutively in different subjects and certain scholarship schemes—such
as the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship—operate well because
this is an option.
Proposals to raise the English requirement to B2
level would have a serious impact on recruitment to the UK education
system; currently 80% of international Tier 4 entrants to the
UK are at a lower than B2 level of English.[32]
The experience of UK study, including the provision of pre-sessional
English courses while living in the UK enables rapid improvement
of colloquial and academic English.
Proposals to enforce a return to the country of origin
in order to apply for a different course make no sense. The student
may have applied and been accepted for a different course while
studying on their current one, or the time between publication
of results and start of the next course may be too short for the
student to be able to return home and wait for their visa application
to be processed. Students required to do this will apply to other
countries for their higher-level course. In particular, this proposal
would impact less well-off students or those from developing countries
whose relatives and friends may have contributed to their being
able to study in the UK. The cost of returning home to reapply
would be a significant financial burden, especially if the timings
meant that flights could not be booked well in advance.
TIER 1 POST-STUDY
WORK ROUTE
AND COURSES
THAT INCLUDE
WORK PLACEMENTS
International students feel very strongly that the
availability of the post-study work route had a significant impact
on their decision to undertake study in the UK. International
employers value the experience of UK employment alongside a UK
degree and UK employers rely on the provision to enable them to
recruit the best applicants if they do not have a sponsor license.
Certain types of courses, including Architecture, require a period
in employment before the second part of the course is undertaken,
and the post-study work route facilitates this. In particular,
recruitment in the public and third sectors, in small companies,
and in postdoctoral research and teaching would be affected.
International students have communicated to NUS their
deep sense of betrayal that the post-study work route could be
withdrawn when they had chosen to come to the UK specifically
because this option was available to them. One Indian student,
accepted to an MBA programme in London, wrote to us, "Currently
many students have taken admission, paid fees and have got UK
student visas…and have been assured two years PSW by the
universities under these circumstances". This student indicated
that experience of work in the UK labour market would be a significant
factor in her ability to find work on return to her home country,
as well as the MBA qualification itself. Students who feel this
way will not give a good impression of the UK on their return
to their country of origin. Another international student observed,
"Revoking PSW altogether will have a massive negative impact
in the sense that it'll sent out the message to prospective international
students that they are not welcome to this country any more".
The Aldwych Group has noted that students posting on international
student forums are already advising their friends to avoid study
in the UK.[33]
Restricting the proportion of work placement to academic
study could also have unforeseen effects on legitimate students
whose educational institutions have legitimately determined that
the best form of learning for that qualification includes a significant
period of time on work placement, followed by assessment. Among
the strengths of the UK education system is its offering a diverse
range of types and modes of qualification. Institutions already
have internal quality assurance procedures to ensure students
receive the mode of education that is most effective for their
intended qualification.
UK-educated international students can provide UK
employers with a pool from which to recruit who already have good
English, as well as fluency in one or more other languages, who
understand UK systems, and who may have had significant work experience
both within and outside the UK. This is surely a good thing and
widens the pool of skilled applicants from whom employers can
recruit.
WORKING DURING
STUDY AND
DEPENDANTS
Proposals to restrict further the working requirements
of international students take no account of local casual employment
markets and could result in an international student being unable
to maintain him or herself especially in areas with high living
costs such as London. Institutions with high numbers of international
students would be unable to provide weekday work for all who wanted
or needed it. The financial viability of study in the UK could
be impacted.
Proposals to limit the right of dependants to come
to the UK and/or to work would have a devastating impact on the
ability of the UK to recruit mature/postgraduate students, especially
those registered on long courses such as PhDs. It could also impact
disproportionately on women students, who would potentially be
more likely to need to bring a child or a partner to the UK in
order to be able to study here at all.
January 2011
23 International students in the UK: facts, figures-and
fiction (UKCISA, September 2010) Back
24
www.britishcouncil.org/new/New-homepage/about-us-old/press-office1/press-releases/British-Council-awards-celebrate-international-students-shining-achievements/ Back
25
Patterns of higher education institutions in the UK (UUK,
2010) Back
26
"Colleges' international contribution" (157 Group,
2010) Back
27
Taught postgraduate students: market trends and opportunities
(UUK, 2009) Back
28
Promoting the UK doctorate: challenges and opportunities (UUK,
2009) Back
29
Students Experience Report: Internationalisation and Religion
(NUS/ HSBC, February 2010) Back
30
The migrant journey (Home Office, 2010) Back
31
UKCISA sector meeting, 17.12.10 Back
32
UKCISA sector meeting 10.01.11 Back
33
Visa Change Report (Aldwych Group, 2010) Back
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