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MINISTER QUIZZED ON FAILURE TO PREVENT BOGUS STUDENTS FROM ENTERING UK
10 February 2010
South West Bedfordshire MP Andrew Selous questioned Immigration Minister Phil Woolas in the Commons on Monday about the Government's failure to prevent bogus students coming to the UK who disappear into the black economy rather than study. Legitimate students are an important source of income to the UK economy, but around 2,000 bogus colleges have been letting in students who then don't study and find work instead. Many thousands of students whose colleges have been deemed illegitimate continue to live in the UK.
Speaking afterwards, Andrew Selous said "The student visa system has been the biggest hole in our border controls for a decade under this Government. Ministers have still need to get a grip and should insist on a cash deposit from overseas students which they only get back if they don't leave the country when their courses are over."
The exchange in Hansard was as follows:
Andrew Selous: What is the Minister's best estimate of the number of bogus students who are working more than the permitted number of hours in the black economy?
Mr. Phil Woolas (Minister for Borders and Immigration): I take the issue very seriously, which is why we are seeking to tighten the regime, but I hope the hon. Gentleman accepts the logic of my answer. It is not possible to say how many bogus students are working above those limits, because, by definition, they are acting outside the regulations. We have, of course, been given estimates, and the best estimate is that the new tier 4 system prevented about 2,000 colleges from admitting overseas students. The action that we are taking is consequential to that, as we continue to engage in what is in effect a cat-and-mouse game with those who wish to abuse our hospitality.
