During the Prime Minister’s recent visit to India, the immigration lobby claimed that the recent 25% drop in student numbers from India is evidence that Britain has been sending a negative message to overseas students.
The reality is that the number of visas granted to Indian students almost doubled in the two years after the introduction of the Points Based System (PBS). A paper issued by Migration Watch UK today shows that there is clear evidence that a significant part of this increase was due to bogus students. The student immigration system has now undergone significant reform.
Commenting, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migration Watch UK, said “The Prime Minster was right to say that Indian students were welcome. The sub text should be that bogus ones are not. With 2.5 million still unemployed we need more illegal workers like a hole in the head. Nor do they do anything for the reputation of higher education in Britain.”
