The ongoing debate about the government's intentions to tighten the regulations relating to student visas is a sad and sorry tale of knee-jerk versus commercial interests of academic institutions.
It wasn't that long ago that I would find myself visiting Lunar House, Wellesley Road, Croydon, home of the Immigration and Nationalisation department (IMD) to help students gain visas. This task also took me to a detention centre in Harmondsworth and various other sad places as those who had entered illegally or used bogus places of learning were caught up with and dealt with. As a minister in a place where many of them had become members I found that this was a sad and shady area of life.
The problem is that there are a number of places that support student visa applications and do ensure that the student attends for the required hours each week, but there are many where this is not the case. The problem is that whilst there is the opportunity for those who have studied here to take up post-qualification work experience there is also a sizeable number of people who come and vanish into the shady world of illegal employment and life as an illegal immigrant.
We operated a Bible school and as such were sponsors for many of those who came in. Sometimes those who were already in the country were required to leave for another nearby place (ie. France) where the visa application was made and usually permission was granted.
The problem is that I have met many who were illegally in the country and many more who had come in as students at places which neither intended to see their students do the minimum study hours or were even equipped or able to teach even if the people were there.
I understand the £40bn that the education trade is reported to bring in is an important part of our economy and the the £1.5bn that ESOL/EFL courses generate, along with the jobs in teaching and support, are also of great importance, but . . .
We need to ensure that those who come are indeed bona fide students and that those who offer courses are equipped to do so. Tightening up of regulations and monitoring the places and people who put on courses and attend them would be a good starting place.
there is a great danger that we will lose out in terms of money, technological and other advances (after all, many of those who will be targeted by the state are research students) and jobs.
Caution is always a good attribute. Caution and intelligence are even better - let's hope we see this issue sorted.
Pax
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