The section of UK immigration law dealing with students from outside of the EU has been criticised by opposition party members.
Labour Viscount Hanworth, a professor at Leicester University, told peers that the government's attempts to deal with bogus institutions are having “a severe effect on reputable institutions in the higher education sector:.
He explained that without such impedents on student immigration, numbers would be expected to follow “a steeply upward trend, which would be highly profitable for the UK”.
Meanwhile, Labour's Baroness Blackstone has been reported by the PA as stating that the country is in risk of being in a “very unfortunate position” in terms of attracting lucractive overseas sudents.
She added: “The restrictions on employment when graduating will put us in a very unfortunate position compared to our main competitors the United States and Australia, which have much more generous arrangements for students who wish to work for a temporary period when they graduate."
In the past, students were given time to find a working position in the UK following their period in higher education. However, the government has worked to reduce these options, severely limiting the possibilities on offer to overseas students in Britain.
Applications from Indian students appear to have been particularly hard hit, although figures suggest that a trend is developing for more applicants to come across from Australasia and Hong Kong.