UK Private College LSBF Hits back at Minister for Immigration

Last week, we reported that the Minister for Immigration and Security James Brokenshire presented a statement to Parliament on the abuse of student visas. It had been widely reported that migrants were taking fraudulent measures to obtain English language certificates. An estimated 50,000 international students have been found guilty of obtaining English language dishonestly and as a result the Home Office has suspended student sponsorship licences of three Universities in the UK, along with 57 private further education colleges. Now one of these private colleges has hit out at the immigration minister, claiming that this is simply not true. 

London School of Business & Finance: Shares the Minister for Immigration’s Concern

LSBF was one of the 57 private colleges mentioned in MP Brokenshire’s statement, as having it’s licence to sponsor international students  revoked. The private college has now responded stating they were contacted by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), following the Governments records showing that over 213 of their students had been working, which caused the violation of their visas.

According to LSBF, they did an internal investigation themselves and found that 198 international students hold valid visas which allowed them to work or did hold a visa whilst they were in employment. The college terminated 13 students from their courses and do not believe that they were working whilst attending the college. LSBF also found that the Government had included two students in their records who had never attended the college.

LSBF, now wants the Immigration minister to clarify his comments:

“LSBF shares the minister for immigration’s concern to address issues arising from abuse of visa regulations by a minority of colleges and students and has given public support to past immigration reforms. However, in the interest of its students and staff, LSBF has asked that the minister now clarify the part of his statement which referred to LSBF.”

Nick Hillman: Foreign Students Support our Universities

An ongoing argument regarding international students, is they should be removed from the Government’s net migration target. The debate is that the continuation of including international students in migrant figures, the UK is risking pushing international talent to other countries.  This fear comes after three-quarters of prospective Tory parliamentary candidates believe that international students should be excluded from any target in regards to reducing  migration in the UK.

According to HEPI, 9 out of 10 Conservative election candidates believe that international students should be able to remain in the UK after their studies to work for a limited period of time.

Nick Hillman, director of HEPI states that there is a misconception of international students in the UK:

“The idea that international students take more from the UK than they contribute is not getting through because it doesn’t ring true. Foreign students support our universities, but they also support our small businesses and our local communities.”

Successful UK Tier 4 Student Visa Applications & Appeals

Our team of experienced and professionally qualified immigration solicitors and barristers will be able to guide you through the process of making a student visa application step by step and limit the possibility of failure by complying with the strict letter of law.

We also undertake a great deal of appeal work before the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal and have a successful track record of successful results for our clients. We have the experience and the knowledge required to take your case forward successfully. If you have had a student visa refused, contact us to discuss your case so that we can provide you with a case assessment.

Categories Home Office, UK Immigration, UK Immigration Policy, UK Tier 4 VisaTags , , , , ,
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