The immigration minister yesterday insisted genuine foreign students have nothing to fear from a crackdown on overseas recruitment.
Damian Green spoke out after university leaders warned that the Government’s student immigration policy is damaging British universities.
Universities rely heavily on tuition fees paid by overseas students, whose numbers have edged upwards over the past 15 years.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, the heads of 68 universities attacked policies they claim will deter thousands of genuine foreign students and cost the economy billions.
However Mr Green said: ‘There is no limit on the number of genuine students who can come to the UK and our reforms are not stopping them.
‘But we are determined to prevent the abuse of student visas as part of our plans to get net migration down. Students coming to the UK for over a year are not visitors – numbers affect communities, public services and infrastructure.’
Meanwhile, umbrella group Universities UK admitted a fifth of foreign students remain in Britain once their studies have ended.
