International students are a success story for Yorkshire, we shouldn’t take them for granted - Vivienne Stern

New data demonstrates the astonishing benefits that this success brings to not only the UK but to the whole of Yorkshire.

International students in Yorkshire for example have boosted the economy by £2.9bn. In fact, the average net impact of international students per constituency in Yorkshire and the Humber is estimated at £54m, which is equivalent to approximately £510 per resident. All this has been achieved with the help of deliberate policy changes made under the Johnson Government.

With speculation rife that the government may be poised to change policy on international students and their dependents, this new evidence should give the Government cause to pause for thought. Rather than looking to reverse policy measures which have led to this growth, we need policy which will enable us to sustain it, in a managed way, over the long term.

We must move away from boom and bust in international visa policy. The damage done by previous restrictions on the opportunity for international students to work after they finish their studies took ten years to reverse, during which time the UK lost its spot as the second most popular destination for international students to Australia.

Instead of swinging from one extreme to another, we need the Government to commit to a long-term approach in which prospective students, planning to study in Yorkshire several years from now, know what the offer will be. That’s also vital for universities in the area, who are increasingly dependent on the income international students bring to cross subsidise underfunded teaching and research. So, if the Government is planning a policy announcement in this area it should have four features.

First, once and for all, the Government should sever the link between student numbers and the net migration target. A student visa is by definition a time-limited visa. Counting them as long-term migrants makes no sense.

It would make better sense only to count them as permanent migrants at the point they switch into a visa category which allows them to stay long-term.

Second, the Government should recommit to the Graduate Route. This was the policy change which allowed the UK to bounce back from the doldrums and recover its appeal to prospective international students. In a labour market hungry for advanced skills, we need these folks.

Third, the Government should recommit to the International Education Strategy– and to stable, managed, long term growth in international student numbers.

Finally, they should work with the universities themselves to build confidence that the system is robust and that there can be no room for abuse.

Vivienne Stern is the chief executive of Universities UK.