Ex-Tory minister welcomes Labour’s open door to overseas students

A former Conservative universities minister has praised the new Labour government for publicly welcoming international students to the UK. 

Speaking at a conference in Birmingham, Lord Johnson of Marylebone, who served two spells as universities minister between 2015 and 2019 and is now executive chair of FutureLearn, said he was “extremely pleased” that Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, had “come out with very positive statements about the value of international students in the UK”.

In a video message published in August, Ms Phillipson addressed international students, saying: “If you meet the criteria for entry to a UK university and for entering the UK on a student visa then the British government and the British people will welcome you.”

“I hope that message is heard clearly around the world,” Lord Johnson said. 

Such rhetoric is widely seen as a reset after the latter years of Conservative rule, when curbs on student visas and the graduate route – which allows international students to stay and work in the UK after they graduate – were considered. New rules introduced at the beginning of this year prevent most students bringing family members with them, leaving some universities fearing for their futures as overseas enrolment figures show signs of decline.  

Lord Johnson said the new rules had “impacted demand” from a number of countries, including Nigeria, Ghana and Bangladesh, but had had less effect on Chinese students. 

Speaking during a panel discussion at the event, which was organised by Chinese student recruitment firm Uoffer Global, Jacqui Jenkins, global programme lead for international student mobility at the British Council, said the Labour government was “kind of keeping the same policies as the previous government, but the messages, for sure, are far more friendly and far more welcoming”.

There are no signs of any sudden policy changes under the current UK government, which has indicated that it will keep the restrictions on dependant visas and been largely silent on topics such as the graduate route. 

However, Ms Jenkins said the change in messaging would be “a force for good” in the UK after years of policy turbulence. 

Lord Johnson agreed. “I think what we would all like, actually, rather than change, is continuity – to have some continuity of policy, some stability and some certainty,” he said.

“The new government may not be changing the policy framework that it inherited, but it’s not indicating a desire to rapidly turn everything around and shake everything up too much. So, I think that will be reassuring for everybody engaged in the sector in the work of ensuring that international student mobility into the UK is possible.”

It comes as other major international student destinations impose crackdowns on visas, with Canada announcing a further reduction to the cap instated earlier this year, while the Australian government has proposed a similar policy. 

helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com