30 August 2017 
Matt Sisson, Projects and Membership Manager
As a pleasant change from the recent negative headlines, there was good news for universities last week. New data from the ONS used to estimate international student emigration suggested that far fewer students were staying in the UK long-term than was previously thought. International student migration has been politically sensitive for the sector over the last few years, and HE has campaigned to have students removed from immigration figures. This idea has repeatedly been rejected by the Home Office and the Prime Minister, and others have previously estimated that a third of all students visa holders remain after study.
However, data from new exit checks has shown that just 3.7% of student visa holders potentially remained in the UK after their visas had expired, and the figure could be as low as just 1% - as the 3.7% figure includes an unknown number who may have left but have not been counted by the new method. The ONS report has prompted a response from UUK and Million+, among others.
