Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the net financial contribution per annum to the economy from international students; and how that contribution is expected to change in the next three years.

The Government recognises that international students make an important contribution during their time here, and they help make our education system one of the best in the world. The UK remains the second most popular destination in the world for international higher education students.

We continue to be committed to ensuring our top universities can attract the best students from around the world. The latest figures show that visa applications from university students are now 17 per cent higher than they were in 2010 and visa applications to Russell Group universities are 47 per cent higher than in 2010.