Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Oral Statement from the Secretary of State for the Home Department of 4 December 2023 on Legal Migration, Official Report, column 41, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the changes to immigration rules announced in that Statement on higher education institutions.

The government seeks to ensure that there is a fair and robust migration policy, whilst maintaining the UK’s place as a top destination for the best and brightest students from around the world. The department remains committed to the ambitions set out in the government’s International Education Strategy to host 600,000 international students per year, and to increase the value of our education exports to £35 billion per year, both by 2030. The department is hugely proud to have met its international student recruitment ambition two years running.

However, the level of legal migration remains too high. As a result, on 4 December 2023, the government announced a new package of measures to reduce net migration and curb abuse and exploitation of the country’s immigration system.

The department expects the UK to remain a highly attractive study destination. The UK has 4 universities in the top 10, and 17 in the top 100. The UK has a highly sought after higher education experience, which is respected by students across the globe.

The department will work closely with the Home Office, Department for Business and Trade, and other governmental departments to assess the impact of these changes on higher education providers.