International students, including Indians, who make up one of the largest cohorts at British universities, have a net positive economic impact on the UK economy even once other costs are factored in, a new report has found. The analysis for leading UK higher education institutions released in London on Tuesday comes at a time when there are growing fears of a crackdown on international student visas as part of the UK government’s efforts to cut down immigration figures.
Focusing on the 2020–21 statistics, the report claims a 96,000-pound per non-European Union (EU) student benefit to the economy, which covers students from countries like India. The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), Universities UK International (UUKi), and Kaplan International Pathways had commissioned the organisation to conduct the analysis amid ongoing political debate relating to potential visa restrictions for international students’ dependents and potential reductions in their post-study work visa rights.
According to UK media reports, Home Secretary Suella Braverman is looking to clamp down on overseas students bringing in dependents as it is seen as adding to soaring migration figures. The costs and benefits of international higher education students to the UK’ reveal that the total economic benefits from foreign students have risen from 31.3 billion pounds to 41.9 billion pounds between 2018–19 and 2021–22