UK PM Rishi Sunak is planning restrictions on foreign students to control migration

The 10 Downing Street has said that UK PM Rishi Sunak is examining the idea of bringing down the number of foreign students entering into British universities, especially those who bring along dependents with them and pursue "low quality degrees". Sunak is considering this policy as he intends to bring down the overall number of migration to the UK. Foreign students account for the largest proportion of non-EU long-term immigration into the UK, according to the Office for National Statistics. 

The National Union of Students (NUS), which is the largest union of students, with an office and active membership in all British universities, called the 10 Downing Street's statement "laughable". The NUS said that considering Britain's skills shortage, erecting barriers for international students would be absurd. Scholarships for international students are limited and they are very selective, as a result of which only people from privileged backgrounds pursue education in the UK, most of whom are from China. British universities actually have dedicated offices to attract more students from China. 

Financial challenges British universities face

Most British Universities are in fact loss making institutions as the fees for domestic students are quite low, compared to fees for domestic students in US or Canada. Most British universities are able to break even only due to the fees paid by international students, which is much higher than the fees of domestic students. Professor Brian Bell, Chair of the government's Migration Advisory Committee said to BBC radio 4 that if the government goes ahead with this decision, several British universities will go over the edge. 

The problem of sub-standard British universities

The BBC report states that the Ministry of Education might resist the government's decision as well because the international students keep British universities solvent. Home secretary Suella Breverman has said that foreign students bring in dependents along with them to take advantage of the UK's visa system and prop up substandard universities. Some British universities have faced criticism for hoodwinking foreign students by giving them false hopes of what education in a British university will mean, without disclosing that all British universities are not equal. In general, Russell Group universities are considered the best in the UK.

This includes universities such as Edinburgh, Oxford, Leeds, Cambridge and King's. Russell Group universities are further divided into Gold, Silver and Bronze based on the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) which examines the quality of teaching in universities. Although Russell Group graduates account for only 17 percent of graduates, they account for 61 percent of jobs that require a graduate degree. They also account for 60 percent of all PhD students. Russell Group universities are equivalent to the Grand Ecoles of France. Suella Breverman (a graduate of Cambridge) is the first politician to refer to the problem of substandard British universities. However, Breverman's inclusion into the cabinet has been mocked by Labour's leader Keir Starmer (a graduate of Leeds). "Why doesn’t he get a proper home secretary," remarked Starmer at the House of Commons. 

Breverman has earlier been criticised for jeopardising the India-UK trade deal by saying she is "proud of the British empire". In the past, she has also criticised her predecessor Priti Patel's deal with the Indian government. The deal was aimed at facilitating migration. Speaking about the UK's controversial Rwanda policy, which entails sending asylum seekers to Rwanda, Breverman said she would "love to have a front page of the Telegraph with a plane taking off to Rwanda, that’s my dream, it’s my obsession," as per a report from the Guardian. It is unclear how other countries will perceive the UK's decision to impose restrictions on foreign students, if the UK government goes ahead with it.