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To have or not to have non-EU students: economic impact and
campaigning strategy
London First Presentation
LSE Seminar 1 March 2013
About London First
•non-profit organisation •mission to make London the best city in the world in which to do business. •200 corporate business and university members
About London First
We aim to influence national and local government policies and investment decisions to support London’s global competitiveness.
London is a great global city
For this to continue we need to continue to be open for business – the free movement of people, capital, goods & services...
...and businesses ability to move people is increasingly constrained:
too many restrictions on who can come and work, study or play in the UK.
Why student immigration policy matters:
London is the most popular city in the world for international students. Higher Education is a major British export.
National picture:
•HE sector is our 7th largest export sector•value of UK education exports £14.1 billion (2008/09)•Of which, £7.9bn HE•Of which £5.2bn non-EU HE students•HE exports could grow to £16.9 billion by 2025
Net economic impact?
•Government questioning the costs of international students – transport, health, housing, job displacement, etc•And the value of long term benefits e.g. soft power•Can we quantify?
The challenge:
The government is seeking to crack down on immigration:
reducing net migration levels from “hundreds of thousands” to “tens of thousands”
They can’t do in EU; so all focus outside:
Year end flowWork, family and students
In flow
Out flow
Year end flows by type and citizenship
Work
In flow
Out flow
Family
In flow
Out flow
Students
In flow
Out flow
Economic Impact of Government Policy
•2011 policy reforms - objective to reduce international students by 25% or up to 80,000
•The Government’s own economic impact assessment in 2011 said policy reform would cost the UK up to £3.6bn over this parliament.
•Leading to a reduced global talent pool
Our goal: evidence based policy making
Collect data properly, so we know who is leaving, as well as entering, and can understand the contribution made by skilled migrants.
The Office for National Statistics is now working on ways to “better count students in immigration flows”.
The full implementation of e-Borders by 2015
Our goal: an immigration policy that enables... qualified people to study in London
We strongly support crack-down on bogus colleges – students in the UK must be bona fide and studying at accredited institutions, at whatever level.
Immigration rules must be clear and enforcement action proportionate.
And students who are bona fide should be classified as temporary visitors and not treated as migrant.
Our goal: an immigration policy that enables... people to come to London securely and efficiently
UK Border Force given sufficient resources to monitor and process immigration
UK Border Agency given sufficient resources to process visas speedily and effectively
UK Border Agency improve management capability and its operations
Our goal: an immigration policy that attracts... people to come to work, study, visit
Immigration policy aligned to growth agenda
Open for business messaging from Government
UK Border Agency focus on customer service
Campaign
Key elements of campaign
Co-ordinated, prioritised deployment of all of LF’s expertise and attributes
Building support among stakeholder groups
Sustained voice in key media, pro-active and opportunistic
Events that inform, educate and provoke debate
Sensible use of digital and social media
National Media
Hard hitting but constructive
Regular comment & letters in FT, Guardian, even Daily Mail
Telegraph letter off the back of PM’s India Visit
BBC Daily Politics Show
Stakeholder work
Immigration Working Group
Meetings: Immigration Ministers past and present (Mark Harper MP, Damian Green MP), UKBA CEOs past and present (Rob Whiteman, Lin Homer)
Strong alignment with Mayor of London
House of Lords – Baroness Jo Valentine
Coalition building with other stakeholders – across political spectrum
Stakeholder Alliances
Universities UK
London Higher
University of London
Individual universities
Association of Colleges
And a year on?
Visible progress on the issues: – Home Office will have removed students from the migration
target (possibly) Clearer data on student numbers Improvements to visa processes and immigration guidance Positive messaging leading to… Growth in international student numbers coming to UK
LF established as leading the business campaign, in media and political circles and among our members
We will have attracted more support – from our own members and other business leaders
Questions