Banning foreign students from coming to the UK unless they win a place at an elite university would undermine Rishi Sunak’s efforts to “level-up” parts of the UK, ministers have been told.
Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK (UUK), said that such a policy would cause “significant damage” to the higher education sector.
She has written to Suella Braverman, the home secretary, expressing concern at the plans to target international students as part of efforts to reduce overall immigration, which has soared to a record-high of half a million. Stern warned that a crackdown on foreign students would harm Britain’s reputation as a global leader in education.
