Boris Johnson says tough new visa rules put foreign students off London

Boris Johnson today accused the Government of causing “unnecessary alarm” with tough immigration rules which he claimed could deter foreign students from coming to London.

Universities in the capital that rely on their international intake for survival could be seriously damaged, he warned.

The Mayor, in India to promote London business, pledged to set up an educational exports commission at City Hall specifically to sell London’s universities abroad.

International students brought £2.5 billion into the UK last year in fees alone and the capital has a huge share of the market with 110,000 foreigners at its universities.

However, since new visa restrictions came in last year — including a cap on numbers and minimum income criteria — there has been a nine per cent fall, with a 25 per cent drop expected next year. The Mayor urged Home Secretary Theresa May, expected in Delhi later this week, to remove students from the Government’s net migration target. “It is imperative that we shift the debate from numerical targets and squarely on to policy based on promoting jobs and growth,” he wrote in a letter.

Before addressing university students in Delhi, he said: “India has a glorious tradition of sending students to London, from Nehru to Gandhi onwards, and we want to make sure we preserve that. We shouldn’t be losing this market.”

Mr Johnson, who was meeting vice-chancellors of London universities including Goldsmiths and City today, added: “The policy on visas in my view has been sending out the wrong signals. If the Government decides to make changes to the visa regime, we want to make sure it doesn’t do damage to a sector in which London is so strong.”

He urged ministers: “Don’t do things that are going to cause unnecessary alarm and prejudice to the UK. That’s what I want to counteract.” Mr Johnson denied he was making any “political calculations” or trying to appeal to different wings of the Tory Party, insisting he simply wanted to make sure higher education was not an “accidental victim” of government policy.

With half of India’s 1.2 billion population aged under 25, the subcontinent offers a massive market for London universities.

In his Daily Telegraph column, Mr Johnson wrote: “We need to act fast, because we have ground to make up, and we cannot take anything for granted. It is time... to remind young Indian brainboxes and investors of the advantages of the UK.”

The Mayor has previously criticised tough visa requirements for damaging the London economy, with City employers prevented from recruiting top foreign talent. He has also called for an amnesty for long-standing illegal immigrants to the UK, many of whom work on the black market.

A Home Office Spokesman: “The student visa regime we inherited was open to widespread abuse. It neither controlled immigration nor protected legitimate students from poor quality sponsors. Our radical reforms are tackling these problems head-on, while making sure Britain remains open for business.

“The UK has some of the very best universities in the world and talented international students are welcome here. Indeed, there is no limit on the number of students who can come to the UK. Put simply, all those who can speak basic English and have sufficient funds and qualifications can come. And those who can get a graduate job earning more than £20,000 can stay to work after their studies. That is why it is no surprise that UCAS acceptances of international students are up 4% this year.

“As the Mayor of London has said ‘the vast majority of Indian students do get a visa, 75% of them get one pretty much straight off”.