Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the 6 per cent levy on international student fees referred to in the Restoring control over the immigration system White Paper, published on 12 May, applies only to England or to the whole of the UK.

The immigration white paper sets out a series of measures that will achieve a reduction in net migration, while maintaining the UK’s globally competitive offer to international students and making a significant contribution to growth by boosting our skills base. This includes the commitment to explore the introduction of a levy on higher education (HE) provider income from international students, with proceeds to be reinvested in the domestic HE and skills system. We will set out more details around this in the Autumn Budget.

Analysis provided in the technical annex that accompanies the immigration white paper shows the potential impact of a 6% levy. This analysis is for illustrative purposes and is based on the levy applying to English HE providers only; education policy is devolved. We will fully consult all the devolved governments on the implementation of the international student levy and work with them on proposals.