Vince Cable has said that he wants more high-achieving overseas graduates to be allowed to stay in the UK to work after warning that international students receive a “warmer welcome” in rival nations such as the US and Australia.
However, Steve West, vice-chancellor of the University of th
e West of England and chair of the University Alliance, queried whether more “ifs and buts” about exceptions to existing post-study rules could “do more harm” than good. He said that rather than “half-hearted” attempts to encourage overseas applicants, “our collective goal must be to remove students from the net migration figures”.