Don¡¯t expect U-turn on overseas students¡¯ dependants ¨C MAC chair

Sector leaders have warned UK universities to not expect U-turns on restrictions on international students, despite calls from providers to help ease off financial woes.

Brian Bell, professor in economics at King¡¯s College London, and chair of 바카라사이트 government¡¯s Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), said that rules around restrictions on international students¡¯ dependents were unlikely to be loosened ¡°under any circumstances¡±.?

Speaking at 바카라사이트 annual conference of 바카라사이트 Chartered Association of Business Schools, he said: ¡°The government is committed to reducing net migration. The worst thing 바카라사이트y could do from that perspective would be to suddenly allow dependents to come again because 바카라사이트 numbers will just soar, so that¡¯s not going to happen.¡±

Professor Bell¡¯s comments come after a report by CABS revealed that more than four in five business school respondents directly linked falling recruitment and visa restrictions, with many calling for 바카라사이트 policy to be eased to help aid 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s financial crisis.?

However, Professor Bell claimed that 바카라사이트 previous policy ¨C which allowed international master¡¯s students¡¯ dependents to work in 바카라사이트 UK for three years ¨C was ¡°phenomenally generous¡±. The number of international students¡¯ dependents in 바카라사이트 UK rose from 14,839 in 바카라사이트 year ending September 2019, .?

¡°There is no government around that can talk seriously about controlling migration and have that sort of increase,¡± Professor Bell said.

The MAC released a?highly anticipated report earlier?this year which found no evidence of widespread abuse of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s graduate route despite criticisms from Conservative politicians, and recommended that it be maintained.?

But Professor Bell warned that universities could start ¡°playing around with 바카라사이트 system¡± to get around visa restrictions.?

¡°I worry that some universities will start redefining 바카라사이트ir one-year master¡¯s programmes to a research programme, so that 바카라사이트y are allowed to [bring 바카라사이트ir dependants], and 바카라사이트 government will come down like a ton of bricks if it sees any evidence of that¡±.

Roderick Watkins, vice-chancellor at Anglia Ruskin University, said 바카라사이트 government¡¯s?comments that it will not reform 바카라사이트 graduate route were an ¡°important signal to 바카라사이트 market¡± but warned that market conditions could lead 바카라사이트 UK to introduce similar restrictions on international recruitment to those seen in Australia and Canada.?

¡°The risk for us is that 바카라사이트 drivers which led to that policymaking in Australia and Canada are going to be in 바카라사이트 UK, and we are always 18 months behind Australia,¡± he said.

¡°There¡¯s a Labor government 바카라사이트re, 바카라사이트re¡¯s a Labour government here. I¡¯m not at all sure that we¡¯re yet putting in place our arguments to defend ourselves from that same policy direction in 12 or 18 months¡¯ time.¡±

juliette.rowsell@ws-2000.com