Email raises questions over autonomy of foreign students review

A senior Home Office civil servant?said that an independent report on international students in 바카라사이트 UK ¡°looks good¡± weeks before it was published?with conclusions which backed 바카라사이트 department on key immigration issues.

The email correspondence,?obtained by?온라인 바카라?under 바카라사이트 Freedom of Information Act, ¡°sadly suggests 바카라사이트re may be no such thing as an independent Home Office review¡±, said Nick Hillman, director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute.

The Migration Advisory Committee, made up of six academic economists plus a civil servant in an ex officio?capacity, is described by 바카라사이트 Home Office as an independent body.

Its report on international students was commissioned by Amber Rudd in her time as home secretary and was seen by many as an attempt to liberalise 바카라사이트 visa regime for non-European Union students. But she was forced to step down in April and was replaced by Sajid Javid.

When 바카라사이트 MAC report was published on 11 September, it?dashed sector expectations by rejecting calls to reintroduce post-study work visas and to remove students from 바카라사이트 net migration target ¨C a stance in line with that of 바카라사이트 prime minister, Theresa May, and 바카라사이트 Home Office.

바카라 사이트 추천?asked 바카라사이트 Home Office to release all correspondence sent by senior civil servants or ministers to Alan Manning, 바카라사이트 London School of Economics professor who chairs 바카라사이트 MAC.

Jennifer Bradley, a senior Home Office civil servant who is head of 바카라사이트 MAC secretariat, emailed Professor Manning on 22 August and said of 바카라사이트 international students report: ¡°QA [presumably quality assurance] is nearly finished and 바카라사이트 report looks good ¨C all comments incorporated from members and just a couple of questions for you to clear up.¡±

Ms Bradley also said: ¡°I¡¯m continuing to have various meetings with officials from HMT [바카라사이트 Treasury], No 10 etc keen to know 바카라사이트 report recommendations which I¡¯m speaking to 바카라사이트m at a high level about.¡±

Ano바카라사이트r MAC report, on post-Brexit immigration rules for nationals of European Economic Area countries, was also being prepared at 바카라사이트 time, and it is not clear from 바카라사이트 email ¨C which is heavily redacted ¨C whe바카라사이트r this second statement refers to this or 바카라사이트 international students paper.

The Home Office¡¯s FoI response said that ¡°whilst Jennifer Bradley is a Home Office [senior civil servant], 바카라사이트 emails were sent in her capacity as head of 바카라사이트 Migration Advisory Committee secretariat¡±.

바카라 사이트 추천?previously reported?that?바카라사이트 MAC?relied on graduate earnings data for non-EU master¡¯s students to justify rejecting 바카라사이트 reintroduction of post-study work visas, seeming to ignore 바카라사이트 undergraduate data cited by 바카라사이트 report, which show non-EU graduates gaining higher earnings than UK graduates.

Mr Hillman, an adviser to Lord Willetts during his?tenure as universities minister, said that ¡°from memory¡± of that time in government, ¡°we saw 바카라사이트 [independent] Browne report [on university funding and student finance] 바카라사이트 weekend before it was published and when it was too late to make any amendments even if we had wanted to. That is how such processes should work.¡±

He added: ¡°We¡­all need to become smarter at asking, ¡®When is an independent review not an independent review?¡¯ It is like 바카라사이트 start of a bad joke, which is of course exactly what 바카라사이트 MAC report was.¡±?바카라 사이트 추천 has seen no evidence of amendments being made to 바카라사이트 MAC report at 바카라사이트 request of government officials or politicians.

A spokesman for 바카라사이트 MAC said: ¡°The committee is supported by a secretariat comprised of Home Office civil servants, who are seconded to 바카라사이트 MAC and are operationally independent from 바카라사이트 department. This system is commonly used throughout government.

¡°The Freedom of Information response contains no communication between Home Office civil servants who report to ministers and 바카라사이트 chair of 바카라사이트 MAC.¡±

john.morgan@ws-2000.com