Mark Lazarowicz: Edinburgh North & Leith

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	Visa Charges of foreign students studying in the UK
	Mr. Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh, North and Leith) (Lab/Co-op): I would like to take the opportunity presented by this debate today to raise one aspect of the immigration rules: visa charges for international students attending education in the UK. For the past month or so, I have been trying unsuccessfully to secure an Adjournment debate on the subject, so I am grateful to the hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner) for securing a debate on a topic whose broad remit allows me to concentrate on this specific issue. Having heard the hon. Gentleman's opening comments, however, I was tempted to divert my comments in another direction. Although he has raised some valid questions, it seems to me that under the guise of telling us that he wants a serious debate on the matter, he is giving circulation to a number of anti-foreigner and anti-immigrant myths about the effect of immigration on public services and so on, which are entirely unacceptable. I shall be interested to see how the more liberal face of conservatism on the Opposition Front Bench distinguishes itself from the comments of the island backwoodsman who introduced the debate. I shall not digress and will speak to the issue that I want to address and that has been a matter of concern to many organisations involved in higher education in this country, including Universities UK and the British Council. It has been raised directly with me by Edinburgh university students' association and constituents of mine who work in the area. It is particularly relevant to cities, such as Edinburgh, that have a large student population, many of whom come from overseas. The principle of charging for leave-to-remain visas was introduced in the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and, as the Minister knows, there has been recent Home Office consultation on the matter, the outcome of which has not yet been announced. The big problem, as those who have been involved know, is that we charge those already in the UK who require leave-to-remain visas or extensions of such visas, to allow them to complete their studies. The charge is currently £155 or £250, depending on how the application is made, and, under the consultation, it could rise to almost £500. The proposal is of great concern to the organisations to which I just referred. It certainly risks deterring overseas students from coming here to study. It is widely recognised that it is in the interests of the UK, and not just of the students concerned, that we should encourage international students to come here. In cities such as Edinburgh, overseas students and the economic activity that they bring with them is a major element of the local economy. The Prime Minister himself recognised that when he launched his initiative on international students in 1999 with the objective of attracting more international students to the UK and the long-term aim of generating long-lasting trade and diplomatic links for the UK. He rightly spoke at that time of the important contribution of international students and of the need for greater efforts to be made to attract more of them here. Many international students do not have to pay the higher charge for visas or visa extensions, but the evidence is that many do. Hon. Members may have received a helpful briefing from Universities UK, which is a highly respected organisation. It states that many entrance clearance officers do not seem to follow the UK Visas guidelines that they should give students leave to remain for the duration of their course plus at least several months when they first make application for a visa. As a result, although students get the benefit of the lower charge when they first apply from outside the UK, they have to renew their visa at the higher charge—Members will understand that that is a potential deterrent to many students—and international students who have gone into higher education from school or from further education, or who decide to remain as research students having completed an undergraduate degree here, may also be hit with the higher charge. Let me make it clear that I do not object to the principle of requiring those who apply for visas of any type to make a contribution towards the cost of administering the system, just as a UK citizen pays towards the cost of being issued with a passport. However, many organisations that are involved with international students believe that the Home Office would drive away thousands of potential international students from the UK were it to implement the proposals. To our short-term and long-term detriment, they would likely go to our competitors in Europe and elsewhere. My hon. Friend the Minister knows that this issue concerns many Members, particularly those such as myself with a significant further and higher education presence in their constituency. More than 70 MPs, including me, have supported the early-day motion of my hon. Friend the Member for Cambridge (Mrs. Campbell). It calls on the Government to grant an exemption from visa charges to international students studying in the UK. Even if the Minister and his colleagues are not prepared to go that far, I hope that they will listen to the concerns that have been raised by Members in this debate and by a wide range of organisations involved in higher education in the UK to try to ensure that we continue to make the UK attractive to the genuine international students, who contribute to our economy, to their education and to the economy of the countries from which they originate.

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	11th January 2005, Column 38-40 Westminster Hall