Absolutely right that @UniversitiesUK and @UUKIntl should put pressure on govt to change visa requirements for overseas students. For the last 15 years my academic role has included recruiting students from overseas. Here are a few of my thoughts. /1 bbc.co.uk/news/education…
Most of the attention in this debate is the money that overseas students inject into the national, and local, economies. That is only part of the story. UK Universities have a proud tradition of being international - it is not just about the money. /2
Being international exposes UK students (and staff) to different ways of thinking. All of which are increasing required in a global working environment (even if you never leave home). /3
Most students have a great experience in the UK. And most will go back home pretty much straight away. They will leave as ambassadors for the UK - an underestimated aspect of the UK's soft power. "Global Britain", if you like. /4
The UK has had great success in attracting overseas students over many years. But the temptation is sometimes to refer to these students as 'foreign'. This is wrong, because it suggests that they are additional to the 'real' (i.e. 'home') students we really care about. /5
I've written more about that point here: theconversation.com/why-we-need-to… /6
Reasons UK is successful include historical links and openness of institutions. Often students come to the UK and particular universities because of family members and friends. There is a critical mass of advocates for the UK University system which transcends generations. /7
Unfortunately, these links risk being broken by policy and rhetoric often seen as the #hostileenvironment for irregular migrants. At education exhibitions across the world, potential applicants have been put off by the criminal law-esque language used in visa documentation. /8
It is a pretty valid question: "Why should I come to the UK and spend huge amounts of money on tuition and living expenses when all the rhetoric is about getting migration numbers now? Why am I a 'migrant' in this sense?" /9
The removal of the right to work post-graduation for a year led to an immediate drop in applications: just as other countries put similar schemes in place. Australia, with its proximity to Asia, quality Unis and favourable climate, benefitted from this. /10
The big picture problem is that once those informal links are lost for a generation, it will be nearly impossible to get them back. Especially as more and more countries across the globe attempt to get a piece of the lucrative pie. /11
The knock-on effects risk undermining what makes UK universities great: their internationalisation. The #WeAreInternational campaign is not just about highlighting diversity, but the very real advantages for economy, society and people to people links that higher ed embodies. /12
Being in an international place of learning is why I wanted to become an academic. In post-#Brexit, "Global Britain", the UK govt needs to decide what message it sends to the world. Stopping treating potential overseas students as a migration problem would be a start. END
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