'Gaming' immigration figures: Govt urged to cut students out the equation

By

The government should cut student numbers out of its official migration figures or else risk harming the UK economy, a leading think tank said today.

A report by centre-left think tank IPPR argued that including international students in immigration figures provided a perverse incentive for the government to pretend it was cutting long term migration when it was actually reducing short-term visitors.

"If the government ignores these arguments it must admit that it is placing short-term political considerations above a genuine concern with long-term net migration," said Sarah Mulley, IPPR associate director.

"The government need to take international students out of the immigration ‘numbers game’, which is damaging our universities and colleges, our economy and our international standing."

Just 15% of students stay permanently in the UK but their inclusion in the general figures means long-term immigration numbers can be massaged down by concentrating on an easy-to-track group, even if doing so has little effect on long-term visitors in the real world.

IPPR's analysis suggests the current method of measuring student migration flows provides the government with an opportunity to "game" its own 2015 net migration target by reducing the number of genuine international students coming to the UK in 2012-14.

Some experts predict that an annual reduction of 50,000 international students will cost the UK £2-3 billion.
 

Political news to your inbox

Fill in your details to receive Politics.co.uk's brand of informed, in-depth and independent coverage of Westminster to your inbox

Hot topics

Britain's great energy debate

How the power gets to Britain's homes in the next century remains a matter of deep controversy

As the next general election begins to loom over the horizon, the debate over Britain's future energy policy mix is starting to hot up - and nothing seems guaranteed.

The Heathrow third runway debate

Heathrow's third runway is just one of many options

There won't be a final decision on Britain's long-term aviation strategy until after the 2015 general election - but an aggressive national debate is already underway.

Opinion Former Events

MRSA Action UK Annual Memorial Event

Families will pay tribute and remember those lost to MRSA and healthcare associated infections at Westminster Abbey on Thursday 13th June 2013

BSIA: Information Destruction Exhibition & Conference 2013

Following the great success of the BSIA's Information Destruction Conference and Exhibition in May 2012, we are pleased to annouce that the event is returning again in June 2013. This one-day conference and exhibition is aimed at key decision makers in organisations that carry out the secure destruction of confidential material.