Are immigration rules starving our universities of talent?
The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has today launched an inquiry into the effect that immigration rules may be having on international students
Taking a look at the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM), the Committee will look at visa arrangements for non-EU students and the route into work after study.
The inquiry will also examine whether progress has been made in co-ordinating the collection and analysis of data on student migration.
The Committee is inviting written evidence on the issue - to be received by 20 February 2014.
Some of the specific questions the Committee poses for those submitting evidence are:
- Are changes to immigration rules having an adverse effect on prospective international STEM students choosing to study in the UK?
- Is there a perception that these new policies could be sending out unwelcoming messages abroad?
- How have the numbers and demographics of STEM students in the UK changed since the introduction of policy reforms on immigration?
- Do we have enough data to enable links between cause and effect to be understood?
- Are prospective international students fully aware of immigration policy and do universities and the Government need to improve how they communicate immigration rules?
- As a result of immigration policy, are UK universities now losing out internationally?
