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| Amber Rudd announces crackdown on overseas students and work visas | Amber Rudd announces crackdown on overseas students and work visas |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Amber Rudd has announced major new restrictions on overseas students, including two-tier visa rules affecting poorer quality universities and courses, a new crackdown on work visas and the introduction of a £140m “controlling migration fund”. | |
| The home secretary’s moves, coupled with the pledge to boost the proportion of British doctors in the NHS, came as ministers tried to demonstrate that they would not wait for Brexit to deliver cuts to the near-record level of net migration to Britain. | The home secretary’s moves, coupled with the pledge to boost the proportion of British doctors in the NHS, came as ministers tried to demonstrate that they would not wait for Brexit to deliver cuts to the near-record level of net migration to Britain. |
| The new drive to reduce the flow of overseas students from outside Europe – who account for 167,000 of the 600,000 new migrants each year – is to focus on linking student immigration rules to the quality of colleges and courses for the first time. | The new drive to reduce the flow of overseas students from outside Europe – who account for 167,000 of the 600,000 new migrants each year – is to focus on linking student immigration rules to the quality of colleges and courses for the first time. |
| Rudd said the Home Office would shortly consult on the new student immigration system and on tightening the resident labour market test that companies have to pass before recruiting employees from overseas, as part of the drive to reduce net migration – which currently stands at 327,000 – to “sustainable levels”. | Rudd said the Home Office would shortly consult on the new student immigration system and on tightening the resident labour market test that companies have to pass before recruiting employees from overseas, as part of the drive to reduce net migration – which currently stands at 327,000 – to “sustainable levels”. |
| “The test should ensure people coming here are filling gaps in the labour market, not taking jobs British people could do,” she said. | “The test should ensure people coming here are filling gaps in the labour market, not taking jobs British people could do,” she said. |
| She also announced that mandatory immigration status checks under this year’s legislation, including on those who apply for licences to drive taxis, would come into effect this December. | She also announced that mandatory immigration status checks under this year’s legislation, including on those who apply for licences to drive taxis, would come into effect this December. |
| She made it clear that leaving the EU was just one element in the campaign to reduce immigration. | |
| The home secretary told the Conservative party conference that the consultation on overseas student migration would look for the first time at whether the student immigration rules should be tailored to the quality of the course and the quality of an educational institution. | The home secretary told the Conservative party conference that the consultation on overseas student migration would look for the first time at whether the student immigration rules should be tailored to the quality of the course and the quality of an educational institution. |
| She raised the prospect of a multi-tiered student visa system, under which rights to bring in families and their right to work, to go on to post-study jobs or to come without passing an English language test would be tied to the quality of the course and the university involved. | She raised the prospect of a multi-tiered student visa system, under which rights to bring in families and their right to work, to go on to post-study jobs or to come without passing an English language test would be tied to the quality of the course and the university involved. |
| Nick Timothy, Theresa May’s chief of staff, has in the past floated the idea of restricting the right to work in Britain after graduation to those who attend Oxbridge and the Russell Group of universities. | Nick Timothy, Theresa May’s chief of staff, has in the past floated the idea of restricting the right to work in Britain after graduation to those who attend Oxbridge and the Russell Group of universities. |
| Rudd said the current system allowed all students, irrespective of their talents and the university’s quality, favourable employment prospects when they stopped studying. She also said that while an international student was studying in Britain, their family members could do any form of work. | Rudd said the current system allowed all students, irrespective of their talents and the university’s quality, favourable employment prospects when they stopped studying. She also said that while an international student was studying in Britain, their family members could do any form of work. |
| “And foreign students, even those studying English language degrees, don’t even have to be proficient in speaking English. We need to look at whether this one size fits all approach really is right for the hundreds of different universities, providing thousands of different courses across the country. And we need to look at whether this generous offer for all universities is really adding value to our economy,” said the home secretary. | “And foreign students, even those studying English language degrees, don’t even have to be proficient in speaking English. We need to look at whether this one size fits all approach really is right for the hundreds of different universities, providing thousands of different courses across the country. And we need to look at whether this generous offer for all universities is really adding value to our economy,” said the home secretary. |
| “I’m passionately committed to making sure our world-leading institutions can attract the brightest and the best. But a student immigration system that treats every student and university as equal only punishes those we should want to help. So our consultation will ask what more can we do to support our best universities – and those that stick to the rules – to attract the best talent … while looking at tougher rules for students on lower quality courses,” she added, but denied that she was pulling up the drawbridge. | “I’m passionately committed to making sure our world-leading institutions can attract the brightest and the best. But a student immigration system that treats every student and university as equal only punishes those we should want to help. So our consultation will ask what more can we do to support our best universities – and those that stick to the rules – to attract the best talent … while looking at tougher rules for students on lower quality courses,” she added, but denied that she was pulling up the drawbridge. |
| However, the University and College Union (UCU), which represents university staff, accused the government of doing just that, and sending out a message that the UK is closed for business. | |
| Sally Hunt, its general secretary, said: “International students make an enormous contribution to UK higher education, both educationally and economically. As highly skilled people, they make an invaluable contribution to our economy. | |
| “This proposal to limit overseas students to particular universities and courses equates to pulling up the drawbridge and sending a message that the UK is closed for business. | |
| “Ministers need to take a very different approach and support universities by removing international students from the net migration target altogether.” | |
| Rudd also said the process of bringing skilled workers to Britain from outside Europe had become a box-ticking exercise, allowing some firms to get away with not training local people. “We won’t win in the world if we don’t do more to upskill our own workforce. It’s not fair on companies doing the right thing. So I want us to look again at whether our immigration system provides the right incentives for businesses to invest in British workers,” she said. | |
| The review is likely to look again at the resident market labour test and ensure that job vacancies are advertised locally in Britain and not just abroad among potential migrant staff. | The review is likely to look again at the resident market labour test and ensure that job vacancies are advertised locally in Britain and not just abroad among potential migrant staff. |
| She said the “controlling migration fund” would be designed specifically to ease the pressure on public services in areas of high migration. It replaces a Labour migration impact fund which was scrapped in 2010 as ineffective. | She said the “controlling migration fund” would be designed specifically to ease the pressure on public services in areas of high migration. It replaces a Labour migration impact fund which was scrapped in 2010 as ineffective. |
| Rudd said Labour’s fund had spent money on translation services rather than English lessons and councils were given money to promote recycling rather than the support they needed to ease housing pressures. | Rudd said Labour’s fund had spent money on translation services rather than English lessons and councils were given money to promote recycling rather than the support they needed to ease housing pressures. |
| Labour’s fund was financed by a £50-a-head levy on visas. The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said Labour’s new proposed impact fund of £50m over two years would also be financed by a levy on citizenship applications. Rudd did not spell out where the £140m would come from. | Labour’s fund was financed by a £50-a-head levy on visas. The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said Labour’s new proposed impact fund of £50m over two years would also be financed by a levy on citizenship applications. Rudd did not spell out where the £140m would come from. |
| The fund was also to be used in the government’s stated drive to “create a hostile environment for illegal immigrants”. The home secretary said the government would build on work by local authorities to stop giving illegal migrants housing benefit, prevent them rough sleeping, and take action against rogue landlords who house them in the most appalling conditions. | The fund was also to be used in the government’s stated drive to “create a hostile environment for illegal immigrants”. The home secretary said the government would build on work by local authorities to stop giving illegal migrants housing benefit, prevent them rough sleeping, and take action against rogue landlords who house them in the most appalling conditions. |