Only allowing the best universities to issue visas that bring foreign students to Britain would close an asylum loophole, report says
Lower-performing universities should be barred from handing out visas that bring foreign students into Britain, according to a report backed by Michael Gove.
The study, by the centre-Right think-tank Onward, proposed the 'radical' changes to immigration rules to help bring down the overall number of people moving to the UK permanently.
It comes amid concern that higher education is being abused as an immigration route, with leaked Home Office figures earlier this week revealing that more than a third of foreign students who went on to claim asylum were sponsored by just five universities and an education agency.
Onward's report suggests that ministers set out a plan to slash 'net' migration to tens of thousands a year – a pledge first made by the Conservative Party in its 2010 election manifesto. Official data shows that net migration – the difference between those arriving in Britain to live here long term and those emigrating – boosted the population by a record 745,000 in 2022.
The latest figures are due out in just over three weeks.
Clare & King's College at Cambridge University. The centre-Right think-tank Onward has suggested barring lower-performing universities from handing out visas (stock image)
Levelling Up Secretary and former education secretary Michael Gove has backed the report. He said: 'This report lays out a vision for a radical, reformed approach. It makes an invaluable contribution to the conversation we need to have about Britain's next steps forward'
Onward's report said: 'Immigration rules should be radically reformed to lower net migration to a sustainable level, with visa rules prioritising only those with the highest skills and earnings potential. Low-skill, low-paid migration should be phased out, and only select high-performing universities should be able to issue visas.
'Lower-quality institutions should be repurposed to focus on vocational, technical and applied learning.'
It went on: 'The number of higher education institutions with the ability to issue visas should be reduced, with only the highest-performing institutions able to sponsor foreign students.'
In a foreword to the study, Levelling Up Secretary and former education secretary Mr Gove said: 'This report lays out a vision for a radical, reformed approach. It makes an invaluable contribution to the conversation we need to have about Britain's next steps forward.'
In January the Government narrowed the criteria for foreign students bringing family members to the UK, but the report urged further action. Only those studying for PhDs at 'qualifying institutions' should be allowed to bring dependants, it said.
The University of Manchester. The report said: 'The number of higher education institutions with the ability to issue visas should be reduced, with only the highest-performing institutions able to sponsor foreign students'
It added that the graduate visa scheme – which allows foreign students to work in Britain for two years after completing their course – should also be abolished. Home Secretary James Cleverly has already commissioned advisers to review the scheme, which was introduced to give graduates time to find high-skilled employment following their degree, with the results due later this year.
Calling for a 'new approach' to immigration, the Onward report said: 'The Government should set out a plan to reduce overall net migration to the tens of thousands per year. This should be achieved through a combination of visa caps and higher salary thresholds to ensure migrants make a net fiscal contribution, with very limited exceptions for ultra-high skills and areas of critical need, such as engineers, doctors and researchers in strategic skills-deficit areas such as science and technology.'
The Government should also create an 'Office for Migration' to monitor the impact of foreign nationals on the UK's economy and society, it said.
