Foreign Student Count Limit Proposed by Conservative MPs

The foreign student enrolment is being proposed by some conservative members of parliament to be given a cap. Universities in the UK will be ranked and the cap will be imposed on those which will not make it to the top 30, the MPs say in their proposal.

The impact of international students on housing and public services is what the MPs say is the man concern that prompted them to push for the cap on the number of foreign enrollees. The MPs who are behind the proposal are the members of The 40 Group which is composed of MPs who were elected in 2010 with the narrowest majorities in the Party.

The 40 Group cites in their proposal that even though foreign students are able to bring in benefits to the UK, we have to consider that they also eat up some provisions for housing, the National Health Service, transportation and other national infrastructure. The proposal indicate that universities that will be ranked from one to 30 will not be subjected to the cap. Criteria for ranking is not yet clear though.

The proposal is said to be a part of the 40/40 strategy of the Conservatives which they will use in the next general election this coming 2015. The plan is to win the election by holding 40 marginal seats and winning 40 target seats. Prime minister David Cameron’s foreword in the proposal’s pamphlet says that its provisions are interesting and valuable. This he said noting that conflicting views on the suggested move cannot be avoided. Conversations with swing voters have inspired many of the specific proposals included.

The concern that no limit has been set on the number of foreign students coming in to the UK appears to be urgent that the prime minister have echoed about it even when he is still in India this February. On the other hand, it seems that universities are worried that the supply of students from abroad will decrease because of new rules in immigration. One of these changes in the regulations is the abolition of the option to work in the UK for two years which is mandatorily given to new graduates. Universities UK chief executive Nicola Dandridge says the association is worried that setting limits will be detrimental to Britain considering that the higher education sector is one of Britain’s strengths.

The official of the Universities UK argues that the international higher education market may take a capped foreign student enrolment as a message that legitimacy is not the criteria so that international students can enter the UK but rather population. According to Ms Dandridge, foreign students do not take up much of public services including hospitals because they leave after completing their higher education and should be regarded as short-term visitors.

Further, the university group officer cites a study recently done by the University of Sheffield highlighting that British economy derives a huge net benefit from foreign students. The academic head asserts that Britain should identify legitimate immigration concerns and address them and it must be carried out in a manner that will not ruin “a profoundly successful UK export” which resulting damage could take many years to restore.

Do you think the conservative MPs were not able to give much thought on what possible effects the proposal would cause especially on the aspect of the academic and economic competitiveness of the higher education sector? How do you think can the proponents revise the pamphlet to be able to accommodate the concerns of the academic sector?