Yorkshire business leaders urge government not to change international student visas

Yorkshire business representatives have urged the Government not to make further changes to student visas, saying it would “cause harm to businesses operating in our towns and cities”.

Sir Keir Starmer unveiled an immigration crackdown yesterday, saying high net migration figures had caused “incalculable” damage to Britain.

“Every area of the immigration system, including work, family and study, will be tightened up so we have more control,” he said.

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Under the White Paper proposals, graduate visas will be reduced to 18 months, and a new levy on income that universities generate from international students could be introduced.

It also proposes strengthening the requirements that sponsoring institutions must meet in order to recruit international students.

The White Paper said there have been problems involving “misuse and exploitation of student visas”, and “too many graduates” who stay in the UK after their studies are not moving into graduate level jobs.

University leaders have been warning of significant financial concerns caused by a drop in the number of international students – who can be charged higher tuition fees – following restrictions introduced by the former Conservative government, as well as frozen tuition fees paid by domestic students.

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Now a raft of Yorkshire business leaders - including the Confederation of British Industry Yorkshire and Humber, the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and the South Yorkshire Institute of Directors - have written an open letter to the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, urging her not to make changes to international student visas.

It says: “We urge you to consider international students’ critical role in the growth and success of businesses across the UK when outlining your proposals for managing legal migration.”

The letter makes the point that the contribution of thousands of international students, from more than 150 countries, at University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam, has hit £521m.

The business leaders say that means the area was financially better off by £5,800 per person.

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They added: “We urge you not to make any changes to international student immigration policy that would cause harm to the businesses operating in our towns and cities.

“Upon graduating, international students continue to contribute to the region by working with and for us.

“The graduate visa route is an important part of maintaining UK higher education’s competitiveness.”

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