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UEA’s independent student newspaper since 1992 - Issue 257, Saturday 24th September 2011
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VC speaks out against visa cut Chris King Editor UEA Vice-Chancellor Edward Acton fears a potential fall in interest from international student applications, following government decisions taken earlier this year to eliminate the two year post-study work visa. Speaking exclusively to Concrete, Acton bemoaned the inclusion of international students in the coalition government’s efforts to reduce net migration into the United Kingdom. “Attempting to limit the number of international students essentially constitutes welcoming them in with one hand pushing them out with the other,” said the Vice-Chancellor. “University slots should be lifted out of this calculation; by all means look at flows of people coming to work, flows of people coming for family reasons, maybe the flows of nonuniversity students, but university students tend to leave when their visas run out.” During the UK Border Agency’s Consultation on Tier 4 Student Immigration rules, which took place during the winter, a number of measures had been proposed which could have resulted in a significant cutback in international numbers, and greater restrictions on international students once they were at British universities. Acton believes that the consultation in the winter had an effect on how British universities are viewed abroad. “The curfuffle around the conultation and very negative foreign reporting of the government’s proposals have had quite a bad effect. “In many countries we curtailed it and the effect hasn’t
been too bad, but I expect it to have an impact.” When asked whether he believed international students would be less likely to choose British universities, Acton said he believed there would be a marginal dip in applications. “This will occur especially at Masters level and especially from the Indian subcontinent, where a very important magnet was easy access to a period of working after you graduate. That has got tighter, and as a result the reporting of the consultation was the most negative in India.” UEA has made a clear committment to increasing the number of international students at the University, particularly with the INTO Building, where 800 students are housed to complete a pre-university year, which replaces the final year of study in their home countries. Therefore it is unsurprising that the international debate is one in which Acton has campaigned heavily. “My response to the government’s proposals was parliament-based, talking to key MPs. Many Liberal Democrat back-benchers were very sympathetic, as were most Conservative back-benchers,” said Acton. “We staged various press conferences, and I wrote a pamphlet on the issue. I spoke to the Home Office Immigration Minister, and had a few interesting discussions. This contributed towards a lot of these proposals being significantly altered in a favourable direction.” With a significant proportion of universities relying heavily on international student numbers, Acton’s concerns seem to mirror those being expressed at other
British institutions. “It worries me that the British government has very specific targets, that they will reduce net migration from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands. Looking at the bigger picture, if Britain is looking like it doesn’t really want international students that would be very dangerous. We are keen to urge the government not to do it again.” In terms of the potential
financial impact of the government’s proposals, Acton had the following to say. “International students are an important part of the university system in this country, and if they get cut, the whole thing rocks financially. The UK Council for International Student Affairs has estimated that international student contribute £2.5 billion to the UK economy in fees alone.
Concrete explains the new hubs, and where to go for academic assistance
lifestyle, p17
Continued on page 3
Popstar Pixie Lott celebrates Graduation 2011 with her brother, Stephen
What type of student do you think you are? Find out with the Lifestyle Quiz
sport, p26
Canary Corner is back, celebrity Norwich City’s return to the big time
comment, p9
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