David Cameron has not shied away from adhering to a conservative talking point of lowering immigration to very miniscule levels. He has stated openly that he wants to cut the amount of migrants that enter the UK yearly from hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands. This has angered many, both in the UK and from abroad, because it cuts back drastically on one of the UK's most prominent institutions: its universities.
As reported by the UK government's statistics, slightly over 500,000 people emigrated to the UK in 2012. This includes visas for those who work, study, join their families, invest in the UK's economy, etc. However, and this is no surprise to many, including those in government, just over 200,000 of those 500,000 migrants were students attending university or studying in the UK.
Immigration numbers have been dropping steadily since Cameron's coalition government took power in 2010. Where student visa levels hit a 10-year high of over 300,000 admitted students in 2010, just after Cameron's government took power, the immigration numbers started falling immediately; by 2011, the number of student visas given out dropped to around 300,000, and by 2012, the number had plummeted to below 250,000.
Students used to be able to stay in the country up to two years after their university program ended, allowing them ample time to search for employment; now, students can only remain in the country for six months after the cessation of their university program. After that, if a student wishes to stay in the country, they must find a company willing to sponsor them for a work visa with a job that pays at least £20,000 per year, a feat that is none too easy with the crackdown on both legal and illegal immigration.
The dropping immigration levels could hurt the UK economy to the tune of £2.4 billion in a decade, as stated in a study by Universities UK. Students bring both monetary engagement to British companies and, as many search to stay and work there permanently, contribute to the UK economy by paying residence taxes. This has not deterred Cameron's conservative government, however; immigration levels continue to drop to levels unseen in 10 years.
This spells out a cumulative 'brain drain' effect on the UK; in 2012, 63,000 more British citizens moved abroad than came to live in the UK. Unsurprisingly, this has damaged international perception of a country that was once seen as welcoming to immigrants: many now feel that the UK doesn't want to have any foreigners, further driving home a notion pushed forward by the far-right UK political party, the UK Independence Party (UKIP).
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
