London: Tough new rules for student visas that came into effect earlier this month have been criticized by the home affairs committee of the House of Commons on the ground that it could damage Britain’s economy.
By the home office’s impact assessment, the new policy could adversely affect the recruitment of the high feepaying international students and cost the economy 3.6 billion pounds annually. Thousands of Indian students come to UK every year to study at institutions.
Keith Vaz, chairman of the committee, said: “The government appears to be not only making policy without adequate immigration statistics, but also ignoring its own evidence. We reiterate the need for an immigration policy which is both evidencebased and doesn’t affect British economy”.
The new rules as part of the David Cameron government’s efforts to reduce migration to Britain involves tougher English language tests, greater scrutiny of private colleges and restrictions on when students and their dependents can work.
Officials estimate that the plans will reduce number of students by 75,000 a year, down from 250,000 a year. PTI
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