Responding to the Migration Advisory Committee’s report on the Impact of International Students, Tej Parikh, Senior Economist at the Institute of Directors, said:

“The Migration Advisory Committee’s report makes abundantly clear the benefits international students bring to our country. While it recommends not removing students from the overall migration statistics, there remains a strong case for re-examining the inclusion of students in the Government’s net migration target.

“The UK’s vibrant higher education sector adds billions to the economy. But the UK is at risk of becoming less attractive than its competitors such as Australia and Canada by not offering sufficient opportunity for people to find work and contribute further to the UK after they complete their studies.

“If we are to prosper after Brexit, Global Britain needs to be more than a brand name. Migration policy should reflect the country’s economic needs whilst rightly addressing people’s concerns. This report rightly recognises the benefits of overseas talent in thriving sectors of the economy, and we would hope to see that positivity reflected in the Migration Advisory Committee’s upcoming assessment of the wider impact of migration in the UK.”