HannHHImmiifffImmigration minister Damian Green believes that the current numbers of international students is unsustainable.

Immigration minister Damian Green

Research published by the Home Office showed that almost 40,000 international students who arrived in the UK in 2004 still remain in the UK after graduating.

Mr Green is leading a review into student visas in line with plans to introduce an immigration cap.

“The limits we’ve already set among those on work visas are necessary but not sufficient. We need to look at other routes,” he said.

“We can see that 186,000 [international students] came in during 2004 and by 2009 more than 20 per cent of them were still here. Student numbers have risen fast. In the year to June 2010, 300,000 visas were issued to students and their dependents.”

However plans to review the policy on student visas have angered international students. Canadian Kenneth Grierson graduated this summer from UCLan, thinks the plans are unfair and that the government are unfairly targeting students.

“I came to the UK because a degree from here is respected worldwide. My course was geared towards international students, and most went home afterwards. A handful have stayed, but from what I’ve seen, they can afford it.

“They have stayed because living abroad is an exciting experience, and because visas issued by the UK allow for it.

“I worked part-time for the year because I was legally allowed. I won an internship over the summer for the same reason. Everything I have done is completely legitimate under current policy, yet I feel like a villain.

“Forget the fact that I have spent nearly £20,000 to be here and have gone through the exact same application process as English citizens.

“If the UK has a problem with foreign students staying too long, then they should change the policies that govern the visas.”

National Union of Students President, Aaron Porter, contests the claims made by the government.

“To suggest that the levels of those coming to the UK to study is too high is a politically motivated misinterpretation. The Government should be proud that students choose to study in this country creating an education industry worth £12.5 billion a year to the British economy.

“Damian Green has clearly failed to recognise that our home students also benefit from sharing an experience with colleagues and friends from abroad.”

By Hannah Breeze

Deputy News Editor

Thousands of students have been warned that they could lose their library and computer access because of unpaid tuition fees. The deadline for payment has been extended to Wednesday the 20^th January.

Any student that has not arranged a tuition fee loan from Student Finance England will face a bill for a year’s worth of tuition. At the height of the crisis before Christmas nearly 3,000 students are thought to owe money for tuition, with the total debt amounting to £6.9million.

The university have insisted that everyone that owes money has been contacted, by letter, phone call and text message. If left unpaid, students will be billed for a full years worth of tuition.

UCLan Students’ Union are urging students to contact Student Finance England to check if they have arranged a loan to cover their tuition fees.

A spokesperson from the Union Advice Centre said: “We are concerned because we have only had around 30 students through our door about this issue.”

This means there are literally hundreds of UCLan students that will be affected. However, students are being told not to panic and to check their funding confirmation from Student Finance England.

All students will have a received a letter regarding their loans after applying, this will then state if whether or not a loan has been arranged to cover tuition fees.

“If you have been invoiced for your fees but you can prove you have applied for a tuition fee loan, the university have reassured us your computer access will not be removed.

“Students may have been invoiced because their online enrolment wasn’t filled in correctly. Another possibility is that their application is caught up in a backlog at Student Finance England.

“If any student is worried or unsure then please get in touch with the Advice Centre” said a Union spokesperson.

The Advice Centre is open 11:00-3:00pm Monday to Friday. You can contact the Advice Centre on 01772 894880 or e-mail suadvice@uclan.ac.uk.

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