Labour call for tougher checks on short-term student visas
Today’s revelations show Government presiding over a failing system
• Non-university students should have more substantial checks after Government doubled the number coming each year.
• Home Secretary should urgently ensure outstanding warnings of bogus students – which numbered over 150,000 last year – are followed up as a priority.
• Home Secretary should review her focus on her failing net migration target - as the target includes legitimate university graduate students, but excludes short term student visas which are subject to abuse and also excludes illegal immigration which is getting worse.
Yvette Cooper MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary said:
“Today’s revelations from undercover reporters show Theresa May and David Cameron are presiding over a failing immigration system which too often focuses on the wrong thing and where illegal immigration is a growing problem.
“The Home Secretary changed the rules so the number of people coming to the UK on short term non-university student visas with far weaker checks has doubled. And she has overseen a department which routinely fails to follow up warnings of bogus students from colleges and universities.
“Too often this Government focuses on the wrong thing. We need stronger requirements on student visitor visas, proper follow up checks by border officials when colleges report abuse or potential fraud, and a rethink of a net migration target which means legitimate graduate students are being discouraged whilst illegal immigration is ignored.
“The Home Office should undertake an urgent review of the outstanding warnings that exist of bogus students from colleges and universities. The education sector should be applying the rules, but the Home Office should also be following them up.
“It’s no good the Home Secretary simply trying to blame the education sector when her department fails to do checks when colleges report abuse.
“The real truth is that the Home Secretary doesn’t concentrate on short term abuse and illegal immigration because neither of them count in her net migration target.
“Theresa May needs to get a grip and put things right - this is a system she created and assured everyone it was working.“