Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on current visa requirements for Indian people studying in the UK.

My officials and I regularly meet with the Home Office to discuss a range of issues regarding overseas students at UK universities, including visas and UK immigration policy. There remains no limit to the number of genuine international students who can come to the UK to study and the government has no plans to limit any institution’s ability to recruit them.

The government fully recognises the important economic and cultural contribution that international students make to the UK’s higher education sector. We welcome the increase in study related visa applications from Indian students since last year and the fact that over 90% of Indian students who apply for a UK visa get one. This shows that international students continue to recognise the benefits of studying in the UK, and are responding to our excellent higher education offer.