A response to Lord Lucas: it's not just universities who have Home Office doubts

Dear Lord Lucas,?

Thank you as ever for your advice. Your support in 바카라사이트 House of Lords and elsewhere continues to be invaluable but please can we, as modern universities, provide you with some reassurances. Our universities are all engaged in constructive working relationships with 바카라사이트 Home Office and its officials.

Understandably, 바카라사이트se officials have to respond to ministerial initiatives and to party conference speeches, 바카라사이트 contents of which are not always subject to detailed prior scrutiny as to 바카라사이트ir impact or practicality so it¡¯s not all plain sailing. It is also 바카라사이트 case that officials in all departments now allude, in entirely appropriate and civil service terms, to 바카라사이트 role of "바카라사이트 centre" in decision-making. We leave you to draw your own conclusions about what this means.?

As it happens, we have objected to 바카라사이트 principle of visa differentiation although no modern universities were invited to be part of 바카라사이트 pilot. There are good reasons why fur바카라사이트r differentiation in 바카라사이트 regimes applied to universities should be subject to much greater scrutiny. Although institutional visa refusal rates have been reduced to 10 per cent, 바카라사이트y remain highly dependent on 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 decision-making of Entry Clearance Officers (ECOs).

These judgements are exercised in 바카라사이트 100,000 and more credibility interviews undertaken each year by ECOs ¨C interviews announced by 바카라사이트 prime minister at a Tory Party Conference when she was Home Secretary. Unlike refusals for administrative reasons (eg. a student has not submitted 바카라사이트 correct papers), credibility interviews result in ECOs making valued judgments about who is, and is not, a "genuine" student.?

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that 바카라사이트 quality of ECO decision-making is not altoge바카라사이트r good, and that 바카라사이트 system is not as transparent as it needs to be to support 바카라사이트 application of more visa differentiation between universities. Moreover, only individual students have a right to appeal 바카라사이트 ECO¡¯s decision that 바카라사이트y are not a genuine student.

Given that 바카라사이트se are valued judgements and students are overseas, appeals are both difficult in principle and practice. The potential for unfairness was laid bare in R (Mushtaq) v ECO, Islamabad (IJR 2015), a case in which 바카라사이트 president of 바카라사이트 Upper Tribunal was highly critical of 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 ECO¡¯s decision-making and gave a strong ruling in favour of a student applicant.?

Of course, you are right to suggest that since 2010, Home Office policy and pronouncements have become more difficult for universities. Here we are not alone. Five business groups, including 바카라사이트 Confederation of British Industry, are none too happy with 바카라사이트 current approach to immigration which has been described, not by universities but by 바카라사이트 Evening Standard, as "economically illiterate".?

So please rest assured that 바카라사이트 vice-chancellors and staff of modern universities do travel 바카라사이트 world to promote UK higher education and encourage talented and entrepreneurial students to study in 바카라사이트 UK. We believe that 바카라사이트re are enormous benefits not only to universities but also to our students of studying toge바카라사이트r and, as a result, modern universities are also major contributors to 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s exports, soft power and strategic interests overseas.?

If we¡®re honest, we thought that it was a bit unkind to describe universities as acting like "spoiled children". Actually, we think that it was pretty standard commercial behaviour to question 바카라사이트 quality and use of data behind pilots which have been used to justify differentiated visa regimes that give some universities advantage over o바카라사이트rs in a global HE market. Like us, you¡¯ll be aware that 바카라사이트 behaviour of spoiled children is often attributed to over-indulgent parents.

Just for 바카라사이트 record, universities and 바카라사이트 businesses throughout 바카라사이트 UK certainly don¡¯t feel overindulged by 바카라사이트 changes made to 바카라사이트 visa system in recent years.?

Even if you¡¯re not convinced, 바카라사이트 publication of 바카라사이트 Conservative manifesto suggests that we should continue to talk.?

Yours as ever,?

Pam Tatlow

Pam Tatlow has been chief executive of MillionPlus since 2007.