Comment: LSBU’s Vice-Chancellor, Dave Phoenix, responds to Universities UK poll
Vice-Chancellor responds to a poll which shows that the majority of British public don’t want to see the numbers of international university students reducedIn a poll conducted by ComRes and commissioned by Universities UK, it has been revealed that only a quarter (24%) of British adults think of international students as immigrants - with 75% of respondents saying they would like to see the same number of international students, or more, in the UK.
The poll, which is based on the views of over 2,000 British adults, also revealed that 91% British public think that international students should be able to stay and work in the UK for a period of time after they have completed their study.
LSBU’s Professor Dave Phoenix, who is also Chair of MillionPlus, said:
“This is further confirmation that the Government's proposals to create a two tier visa system for international students in order to reduce migration numbers is ill-judged. International students enhance our universities socially, culturally and economically, and bring long-term benefits to the UK by underpinning relationships with other countries.
“The Prime Minister should accept that the public is right and ensure that these proposals are withdrawn by the Home Office before they cause further damage to the UK's global reputation and market in higher education.”
Find out more about Universities UK’s poll.