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CBI attend the APPG for International Students

Harry Anderson Senior Policy Adviser

Preserving the UK as a leading destination for international education.

19 Aug 2019, 2 min read

Last month, CBI attended the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Students to discuss the important contribution overseas students make to our economy and society.

The UK is one of the most popular destinations in the world for international students to come and study. Each year, we attract around 450,000 students from outside the UK, with these students making an important economic, social and cultural contribution to UK universities, businesses and the country more broadly. Only the U.S. is able to attract more.

As the UK prepares to leave the EU, there is renewed focus on our place in the world and on the importance of trade and exports. Set within this context, international students represent a major competitive advantage for the UK – but one that needs to be protected and grown.

With the market for global education developing quickly and our competitors looking to increase their share, government needs to do three things:

  1. Develop a more positive and welcoming message to prospective international students by scrapping the Net Migration Target
  2. Reform, streamline and simplify the Tier 4 visa process so it is easier to navigate for international students
  3. Enhance the opportunity for international students to move from study into work in the UK, including increasing the period in which students can look for employment after studying.

For more information on the CBI’s work across higher and further education, please contact Harry Anderson.