Question on the financial contribution of overseas students from Martyn Day MP

Written question answered on Thursday 18 January 2018  

Martyn Day MP (SNP) asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the findings of the recent report from the Higher Education Policy Institute on the financial contribution of overseas students and staff; and if she will review the classification of students in immigration statistics as a result of those findings.

Answered on 18 January 2018 by Caroline Nokes, Minister of State for Immigration: 

The Government welcomes the contribution that international students make to the UK economy. We recognise that international students enhance our educational institutions both financially and culturally; enrich the experience of domestic students; and become important ambassadors for the United Kingdom in later life. The Government has recently commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee to undertake a study into the costs and benefits of international students.

There is no limit on the number of international students who can come to the UK and there are no plans to change this. So long as students are compliant with immigration rules they should make a very limited contribution to net migration numbers.

The independent Office for National Statistics is responsible for the production of the net migration statistics. In line with the internationally agreed UN definition, these statistics define a migrant as someone changing their normal place of residence for more than a year. Students are therefore included in the same way as other migrants.