Labour has no plans to lift visa restrictions imposed on international students by the previous Tory Government, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said.
In January, restrictions were introduced to prevent most international students bringing dependents with them to the UK.
Asked whether the visa restrictions should be reversed, Ms Phillipson told Sky News: “We don’t intend to change that.
“But what I do say is that international students who come to our country and study do make a tremendous contribution.
“In economic terms, into where it comes to the communities where they will come and live: Sunderland – where I’m a Member of Parliament – we have lots of students that come from around the world, often as postgraduate students, that study and make a contribution.
“But it’s also a big part of our reach around the world, the impact that we can have as a country, the business links, the trading links, the opportunities and the bridges that we build between nations.”
Ms Phillipson also said raising tuition fees would be “unpalatable” as students across the UK continue to face challenges including the cost of living and housing costs.
Asked whether tuition fee caps would be increased in the next five years, she told Sky News: “I do recognise the challenge, and I hear that message from institutions as well, but I think that’s a really unpalatable thing to be considering.
“Not least because I know that lots of students across the country are already facing big challenges around the cost of living, housing costs, lots of students I speak to who are already working lots of jobs, extra hours,in order to pay for their studies.”
Ms Phillipson added that the Government does intend to “reform the system overall”.
It comes after Home Office figures revealed a sharp decline in international student applications for the upcoming year.
The latest data shows a 40 per cent drop in sponsored study visa applications, suggesting that visa restrictions implemented by the previous government continue to impede recruitment efforts.
In June, the Home Office received just 28,200 applications, a significant decrease from the 38,900 recorded in June 2023.
This downturn in international student numbers could have severe financial implications for UK higher education institutions, many of which rely heavily on the income generated by overseas students.
Enroly, a service used by international students for managing university enrolments, said that data from 31 UK universities shows a 41 per cent decrease in deposits and acceptances by international students up to the end of July.
