UUK
comment on publication of the government’s Immigration White Paper
Commenting on the publication
of the government’s Immigration White Paper, Alistair Jarvis, Chief
Executive of Universities UK, said:
"International staff and
students, both EU and non-EU, make a vital contribution to the UK higher
education sector. The ability to recruit international staff at a broad range
of skill levels and students at all levels of study, with minimal barriers, is
vital to the continued success of our universities.
"There are over 83,000
international staff working in UK universities. The reforms to the Tier 2
system are a step in the right direction, but need to go further. Removal of
the cap on numbers of highly skilled workers is welcome acknowledgement that EU
and non-EU university staff make a major contribution to the success of
universities. Their contribution is vital to post-Brexit Britain.
“Any decision to maintain the
salary threshold at £30,000 however would have serious implications for
technicians and language assistants in particular, who are vitally important to
teaching and research. 63% of European Economic Area (EEA) nationals working as
technicians at UK universities earn below £30,000, in vital areas such as
biosciences and clinical medicine EEA nationals make up over a quarter of the
technical workforce.
“There are 135,000 EU students
in UK universities. We welcome the recognition of the benefits that
international graduates make to the country through the introduction of
post-study work for a period of up to one year for PhD students and 6 months
for others, but unless we allow all graduates to stay and work for two years
the UK will continue to lag behind our global competitors in our offer to
international students.
“Under these proposals EU
students will also now require a study visa, placing an additional burden on
students and universities.
“Over the coming months of
consultation we will be seeking changes to these proposals to ensure the best
possible deal for university staff and students.”
