Theresa May plans crackdown on student visas for international students

Prime Minister Theresa May says she wants to toughen up student visa rules as part of her government’s fresh attempt to get net migration under 100,000 – and that means cutting the number of international students studying here.

Under the new rules, universities may be forbidden to sell their courses as opportunities for students to work in Britain and it will be harder for foreign students to stay in the UK after their degree has ended.

A government report last year said foreign students could bring £1 billion extra into Britain every year, but the PM reportedly sees international students as having an easy route to the UK and believes they are “economic migrants”, The Independent reported today.

Mostafa Rajaai, International officer for the National Union of Students savaged the proposals. He told The Independent that Theresa May was ready “to devastate more lives by raising feelings of suspicion and distrust”.

He added “The British student visa system is one of the toughest and least welcoming in the world. By tightening it further, the Higher Education sector will lose out on hundreds of thousands of international students choosing other countries over the UK”.

In 2014-15, over 400,000 international students studied in the UK. They can expect to pay up to £36,000 a year in fees.