Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Mark Harper and Jonathan Djanogly

Monday 28th October 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon) (Con)]

5. What steps she is taking to restrict immigration routes into the UK without limiting the ability of UK universities to attract international students.

[The Minister for Immigration (Mr Mark Harper)]

Since 2010, the Government have taken steps to reform all routes into the UK to deal with abuse, but we have been careful to protect our world-class universities. In the past year, we have still seen a rise in visa applications to universities.

[Mr Djanogly]

Given that we have significantly restricted the ability of foreign students to stay on after the end of their studies, is it worth retaining their inclusion in the immigration figures?

[Mr Harper]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that question, as it gives me the opportunity to say that they should be in the figures. Those who come here for more than a year are migrants in the same way others are, and use public services. It also gives me the opportunity to say that we have not restricted the ability of students to work where they have a graduate-level job that earns £20,300. We welcome the best and the brightest to do exactly that.