The Economic Contribution of Foreign Students
Thank you for your letter of 16th April1 enclosing a booklet by Oxford Economics on the economic impact of your university on the city of Exeter and the surrounding region.
I should make it clear that Migrationwatch is not in the least opposed to international students. We recognise the benefits described in your booklet. However, they only apply if the students are both genuine and return home at the end of their courses. The two major problems with the present immigration system are that there is no test of either genuineness or intention to return. Nor is there any later check that students have actually gone home. These matters must be attended to if the wider objective of reducing net immigration is to be achieved, as a huge majority of the public wish to see. I hope that you and your colleagues will give some thought as to how departure could be assured.
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