Halfon: UK doing everything possible to attract overseas students

A UK government review of the post-study work visa will look at whether the system is being abused and if graduates are getting good jobs, according to the higher education minister, who refused to rule out further changes to the crucial scheme.

Speaking to Times Higher Education, Robert Halfon said that universities should be reassured that the government remains committed to encouraging international students to come to the country and that it had been “clear” in its approach despite a string of changes that sector leaders say have harmed the UK’s competitiveness abroad.

This month, the home secretary, James Cleverly, announced a review of the visa – which allows overseas graduates to stay and work for two years after completing a course – as part of a range of measures aimed at cutting immigration, just months after banning master’s students from bringing dependants with them.

“We’re considering the current range of discounts available to these new entrants and those with PhDs, and that will be incorporated into the new rules,” Mr Halfon said of the review.

It will look at potential abuses in the system, Mr Halfon said. “We want the people who are staying here to ensure they get graduate jobs, so what we want to do is check what kinds of jobs those who do stay for two years get,” he said.

Asked if he regretted the uncertainty that universities have experienced because of the changes – at a time of financial instability – Mr Halfon said he felt that institutions should be “very clear about what our policy is”, citing a target of recruiting 600,000 international students, a goal that the country surpassed in 2020-21 and that he said was “something I am proud of and something we are very keen to do”.

“At the end of the day, visa matters are matters for the Home Office, but we’re doing everything possible to support and encourage international students,” Mr Halfon added.

But the minister declined to say whether he would make the case to the home secretary that the visa should remain unchanged.

“The whole purpose of a review is to find out what is going on, and once you find out what is going then you make a judgement after that review,” he said.

Universities have indicated that they have already seen a dip in applications from countries such as Nigeria following the changes on dependants, but Mr Halfon said students from other countries are on the increase. “We have a huge amount of students from the US, for example,” he said.

In light of declining enrolments, several universities have begun to close courses and cut jobs, and Mr Halfon said he would “love universities to have more resources”.

“But we are dealing with a world of significant financial constraints, significant difficulties with the economy, a debt of £2 trillion, we spent £400 billion on Covid, so there are very difficult decisions to be made,” Mr Halfon said.

“I don’t think I would be able to go to my constituents and say, ‘I’m going to charge you more for tuition fees.’ I don’t think that is the place that we are in.”

Asked about a suggestion that businesses should be asked to contribute more to the ailing sector by reforming the apprenticeship levy to become a wider skills levy, Mr Halfon – a keen advocate of degree apprenticeships – said he was “utterly opposed to that”.

“The moment we have a skills levy or you dilute it, as some are suggesting, all it means is you slash the number of apprentices, and everything I want to do is increase the number of apprentices, especially degree apprentices.”

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com