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Well, it’ll deter all but the most affluent of foreign students, which is a shame, as they need the breaks least.

Quite. Which is pretty oorly thought out. Universities are already underfunded, and rely on foreign students as they are much more profitable. So yeah, another swipe at education. Good work you absolute idiot May.

Actually it will deter even them. There are all kinds of problems with this. For example;

  1. Theresa May insists on counting overseas (that is, non EU) students in the overall immigration numbers. Because those overall numbers look so bad, the story goes out that overseas students must be deterred. Yet almost all do not remain here after some work experience - they go back to their home countries and in most cases become ambassadors for the alma mater, the UK, and so on. The benefits for long-term trade of sending future elites back with a UK education has always been recognised - until now.

  2. The ‘market’ in overseas students, waged largely between the US, the UK, Europe and Australasia, is highly competitive. And just as our competitors are lowering their barriers to gain advantage, we’re throwing up the barriers. It’s a spectacularly stupid own-goal.

  3. Overseas students pay roughly three times as much for their higher education as home and EU students educated in the UK. They therefore substantially subsidise home and EU students’ study at university. If the numbers were to be drastically cut, higher education provision for home students would have to be cut too.

  4. It is strictly NOT true, on the other hand, that overseas students occupy higher education places that might otherwise be provided to UK students. Because of the high fees that overseas students pay, universities are able to increase provision accordingly.

  5. The size of the market to UK universities is measured in the several billions of pounds. It is - or has been - one of the great export success stories. May intends to damage simply that so that she can wave the immigration flag. It’s the worst kind of playing to the gallery. Strip out overseas students and our universities will be severely diminished, both practically and by reputation.

And so on, ad nauseum - as is fitting for a particularly nauseating politican.

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Originally posted by @KRG

Quite. Which is pretty oorly thought out. Universities are already underfunded, and rely on foreign students as they are much more profitable. So yeah, another swipe at education. Good work you absolute idiot May.

To put it into perspective, the difference between rich and poor foreign students is as pronounced as:-

Needing to put in shifts in to supplement income.

Having Daddy buy you and your friends a house to live in for two to three years on the London market, after which Daddy will make a killing reselling it.

Guess May wants more of column B.

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Originally posted by @Furball

And so on, ad nauseum - as is fitting for a particularly nauseating politican.

I prefer Teresa May*, still the UK’s number one glamour model, according to the blurb on her website.

*Even for home secretary.

A lot of our important lapdancing clubs will close down

So there’s a Russell Group of lapdancing clubs now?

When I was married to a Brazilian, it was my experience that lots of Brazilians who wanted to live in the UK would sign up for an English School as a way in, which would mean they could work, and never really leave. I’m not sure if this policy is trying to address that issue or go even wider?

Dunno what a Russell Group is tbh. Have I embarrassed myself again? I’m out of my element!

Ain’t it better tho if students don’t work, I mean generally? I.e. cos they don’t appear on Unemployment Statistics, and everyone agrees we want Unemployment Statistics down. Much better to have a redundant Civil Engineer, serving you Starbucks part-time.

Originally posted by @Coxford_lou

When I was married to a Brazilian

wtf don’t drop bombs like that in horribly casual fashion! Start a Broken Marriages thread, and give me the whole, sordid story!

Well, that’s possibly a loophole, but surely the thing to close it is the Home Office. Unless they’re re-enrolling, their visas have to expire sometime.

Or be more specific about what institutions can be considered valid.

The trouble with visas are once people are in the country it’s near on impossible to remove them or even know who/where they are. And the illegal jobs market is thriving particularly in London. I’m not passing judgement, but that’s the issue.

To be honest, it’s such a juicy story I don’t think even you could cope with hearing it, Bearsy. So I think best we keep it to your imagination.

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No, it’s not for that, Lou. There have long been measures in place to deal with fake English schools scamming the system. This latest guff has to do with the fact that the Tories hoisted themselves by their own petard by including overseas students in the overall immigration numbers, even though the vast majority of them have no intention of remaining. And no interest either. They’re here for the prestige of an English higher education - something that has already been badly diminished by May’s calculating xenophobia.

The Tories have progressively - if that’s the word - chipped away at British universities’ competitive advantage in the international market. University staff spend too much of their time now acting as de facto immigration officers for May’s vastly incompetent Home Office - and that, frankly, is the crux of this. The Home Office’s patent lack of fitness for purpose is deflected for narrow political advantage. Because they cannot manage our borders competently, they have to resort to desperate measures like this.

It’s beyond appalling.

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tks I am entirely comfortable with making up the details on ur behalf. I will update ur wikipedia page ASAP.

Brian, be a dear and fuck off for a bit. I’m on a rant.

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Originally posted by @Coxford_lou

Or be more specific about what institutions can be considered valid.

What presently qualifies? Any HE institution, or lower? I don’t know myself.

The trouble with visas are once people are in the country it’s near on impossible to remove them or even know who/where they are. And the illegal jobs market is thriving particularly in London. I’m not passing judgement, but that’s the issue.

If that’s the issue, then this is a poor solution. It’ll force people off the books and into the illegal labour market. At that point, it’s regressive tax only. Better hope they smoke!

If the illegal jobs market is thriving, the last thing you’d want to do is give it more supply.

Gotcha. Soz.

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Ok. Well that answers my question. Can I ask what’s in it for them? (The Tories)