Today the Home Affairs Select Committee released its report in response to the student visa announcements made earlier this year (22 March). The report highlights some serious concerns the cross-party committee has about the manner in which the government creates policy and the worrying effects this could have.

In particular the committee raised serious concerns about the fact that policy appears to be created using little or no evidence base and that the impact assessment that was promised to influence the policy was not created until weeks after the government had made its announcements. It also highlights that the impact assessment of this policy shows that in a worst case scenario, the new student visa system could cost the government a net £3.6 billion.

NUS International Students' Officer Christina Yan Zhang said "This report clearly shows what NUS and the sector have been saying since the beginning. That the policy was rushed, ill-thought out and will potentially have a severely damaging effect on our university and college campuses. The International Students' campaign will be responding to various UKBA consultations relevant to International Students over the coming months and producing guidance for students' unions to do the same if they so wish."