Crackdown on student visa work loophole signalled

Students coming to the UK from outside the EU to study should be stopped from seamlessly moving into work in order to give British graduates the best chance of finding a job, Immigration Minister Damian Green said yesterday.

Plans to reform the current system that allows non-EU students to work in the UK for up to two years after completing their studies will be part of the Government's crackdown on student visas.

Graduate unemployment hit its highest level for more than a decade last week, with a fifth out of work.

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"It seems to me that to allow unfettered access to the jobs market for two years to anyone with a student visa from abroad is putting an unnecessary extra strain on our own graduates," Mr Green said.

"That's clearly an area where the current system is too generous.

"We want to encourage people to stay in education for as long as possible.

"If they think they are going to incur the expense of a student course and then not have a job at the end of it, then that will discourage people from doing the best for themselves, which is to be as educated as possible.

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"It's quite important that we have a proper fair playing field for British graduates in the jobs market."

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) last week showed 20 per cent of new graduates were unemployed in the third quarter of 2010. This was almost double the rate before the start of the recession, when it stood at 10.6 per cent.

Mr Green added that too many bogus students were coming to stay in the UK and the abuse must be stopped.

Driving out abuse would reduce the number of student visas, he said, "but it need not affect any genuine institution offering a genuine course".

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Mr Green went on: "There is clearly very, very widespread abuse in the system.

"Driving out that widespread abuse does actually mean that there would be a significant drop in the numbers of people coming here."

Scrapping the present regime will mean tens of thousands of students from outside the EU will be forced to go home after finishing their studies.

Only highly trusted sponsors will be able to offer courses below degree level to adults, and inspections will be made more rigorous to ensure compliance.

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Students will face tougher tests of their mastery of the English language and will be forced to show evidence of academic progression if they want to extend their studies.

The right to work and bring in dependants will also be limited.

Two thirds of the non-EU migrants who enter the UK come on student visas and the Government wants to bring these numbers down as it tries to fulfil its pledge to cut net migration from 200,000 to fewer than 100,000 by 2015.