200,000 former students outside EU permitted to stay in the UK in last 7 years

Around 200,000 former students outside EU have been permitted to stay in the UK in last 7 years as per the latest report of the Migration Watch UK. It further elaborates that between the year 2009 to 2015, 23,000 grants were offered annually to students outside EU who arrived at the UK.

Apart from this, grants of the settlement were offered by the UK Home Office to 4,000 dependents of these students outside EU. On the whole, around 191, 000 immigrant students outside EU were permitted to settle in the UK, as quoted by the Times UK.

Migration Watch UK said that the report reveals that not all students who arrive in the UK are temporary residents as suggested often. In fact, many of them remain in the nation as permanently.

A senior Parliament Committee in the UK intends to eliminate students from the net immigration statistics. On the other hand, the report of the Migration Watch UK reveals that around 200,000 former students outside EU have been permitted to stay in the UK in last 7 years.

Economic Affairs Committee of the House of Lords has contended that overseas students are only provisional immigrants. It has asked the government to eliminate them from the net immigration numbers for purposes of public policy. This could also be a possible effort to make some symbolic growth for the much-debated objective of reducing the net annual immigration intake.

The Office for National Statistics revealed that net immigration levels to the UK are running close to record levels. It seems that it will not be possible for the Tories to meet their target of reducing immigration intakes at least in the near future.

George Osborne the former Chancellor of the Exchequer recently said that none of the UK Cabinet members are in favor of supporting this pledge to reduce immigration, in private. He further revealed that even the former administration led by David Cameron made deliberate decision not to act on this. The administration, however, remained committed to the pledge for reducing immigration in public.

The official Home Office analysis has been utilized by the Migration Watch UK to compile its report. This indicates that on an average 27,000 settlement grants were offered annually to students outside EU who arrive at the UK from 2009 to 2015.

In its statement notes attached with the report, Migration Watch UK added that efforts must be made to update the statistics of overseas students who remain in the UK. It also recommends the government to utilize the exit check data that is available.

In the last five years, overseas students have accounted for 50% or 600,000 of total non-EU immigrant inflow to the UK totaling to 1.18 million.

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