Government defies advice to remove students from migration targets

The union criticised the government for failing to remove students from net migration figures in its response to the business, innovation and skills (BIS) select committee's report on overseas students and net migration*.

Last month the chairs of five influential committees of cross-party MPs and peers wrote to the prime minister urging him to remove international students from net migration targets.

That followed the report from the BIS select committee in September that said overseas students should not be recorded in migration figures in order to allow the UK to continue to expand its share of the overseas student market.

The union said the government's failure to do so undermined David Cameron's efforts to persuade students in India just last week that Britain still welcomed them.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'The government has made it very clear it wishes to reduce net migration, but its chaotic approach risks doing real damage to our standing on the global stage.

'Just last week the prime minister had to try and convince Indian students that Britain still welcomed foreign students.

'International students bring social and economic benefits to the country and the government could have sent a bold message today that British universities are open for business. Sadly, it is once again pandering to a domestic audience in a desperate effort to sound tough on immigration.'

UCU added that the move was a real blow to the higher education sector after recent damaging headlines across the globe about foreign students at the risk of deportation from Britain following the decision by the UK Border Agency to revoke a London university's licence to teach non-EU students.

* The full government response can be found here (.pdf)