IChemE ceo welcomes call for UK migration rule change
8th March 2012
IChemE ceo David Brown is backing a call for UK government to exclude international students from current migration restrictions.
Writing in the Sunday Times last weekend, Simon Walker, director general at the Institute of Directors, called on government to make the change, claiming that new visa rule changes limit the UK’s openness to trade. Walker says that the rules are having a negative impact on universities and damage the UK’s global influence.
'Our universities are a massive export success story. The reputation and quality of our institutions draw the brightest students from all over the world,' wrote Walker, adding that current migration policy, and the negative perceptions of the UK it engenders, imperils that success.
'International students should not be treated as migrants for the purposes of the government's net migration figures,” added Walker.
Brown has this week echoed the sentiment and called for a lift on the restrictions to ensure that top talent, regardless of nationality, is welcomed to the UK education system: 'By educating students from around the world, universities build vital relationships with the customers and business partners of the future - and they make a huge contribution to export earnings by doing so. UK chemical engineering departments are among the best at this valuable work - and we owe them every encouragement. Let's keep these doors open to the world's best'
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