The UK is the major European provider of higher education to international students, whose numbers here have doubled in the last decade, generating over £4 billion in export earnings. Overseas students are the UK’s single largest category of long-term migrants from outside the EU. However, in recent years, international students in the UK have been subject to more and more restrictions. It is not yet clear if the government’s proposed cap on non-EU immigration will target overseas students, who come here under Tier 4 of the points-based system. What effect might recent and future restrictions on international students have on the higher education sector, and on the UK economy?

Speaker: Ursula Kelly, University of Strathclyde