Last week, it was announced that the number of immigrants moving to the UK in the year to March fell to the lowest level since 2004, dropping by 30,000 to 536,000. The coalition has committed itself to reducing net migration to the "tens of thousands" by 2015, so the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics seem at least a small step towards meeting that target. However, also last week, it took the unlikely duo of James Dyson, famed for his bagless vacuum cleaner, and London mayor, Boris Johnson, on tour in India, to warn of the high price of pursuing an immigration policy that may be popular on many doorsteps but that also risks damaging the UK's current and future prosperity.
He said ministers were causing "unnecessary alarm" with tough rules that could deter foreign students. "Mood music" on visa restrictions, he said, could seriously harm many UK universities that rely on foreign students for survival. Last year, international students brought £2.5bn into the UK in fees alone, but tougher restrictions have seen a 26% drop in student visas. Following the example of other countries, students should be classified separately, hence exempted from the general cap on immigration numbers.
The memory of the events at London Metropolitan University in September may also act as a deterrent to potential applicants. The university was stripped of its ability to host foreign students from outside the EU as a result of "serious systemic failure" in its monitoring regime. A number of students midway through degrees suddenly risked deportation.
Bogus students do exist and the system unquestionably requires considerably more rigour. However, the current policy doesn't just lose revenue, it also fails to attract and conserve talent. James Dyson, in a letter to the Daily Telegraph on Friday, said that Britain will have a deficit of 217,000 engineers by 2017; 85% of postgraduates undertaking science and engineering research come from abroad; 84% return home on the completion of their studies. "Knowledge is lost," Mr Dyson wrote. He currently has vacancies for 200 engineers. This poses the question of why the UK, once famous for its skill in building world-class canals, bridges and railways, is manifestly failing to produce sufficient home-grown engineers. Dyson goes on to argue that the UK needs to make it easier for talented graduates to remain to help with our looming skills shortage.
Immigration is an inflammatory issue at times, too readily exploited by politicians. The coalition's inability to control the EU's flow of arrivals means that in the case of capping foreign students, it is hitting the wrong target. It needs a more granular approach. Foreign students provide much needed revenue for our universities; they add to the pool of talent. Boris Johnson has said it is "imperative" that ministers stop focusing on numerical targets (although they have a role in controlling non-student entries when housing and employment are severely squeezed in many communities) and, instead, concentrate on immigration as a means of promoting jobs and growth. He is right. Overseas students with a genuine intention of studying and after graduation accepting time-limited employment are vital to the UK's economy. They should be welcomed, not barred.
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