It looks like Theresa May’s Home Office plans to restrict visas of foreign graduates have been derailed by George Osborne.
Theresa May’s plans to kick foreign students out of the UK after they graduate look like they’ve been derailed after being widely slammed by business groups, politicians and entrepreneur James Dyson.
George Osborne is said to have quashed the Home Secretary’s plans to force foreign students to leave the UK before re-applying for work visas, the FT reports.
The policy will not be part of the Conservative party manifesto it said, quoting a Tory official as saying the policy of international students being allowed to stay when they graduate if they find a job paying more than £24,000 remains in place.
Conservative City MP Mark Field hit out at May’s plan saying it would damage London. “We get some fantastic students... the type of people any country should be looking to encourage. Anything that makes them feel unwelcome can’t enhance [London’s reputation],” he told City A.M. in December.
A senior Lib Dem source called it a “silly idea” while renowned British entrepreneur James Dyson attacked the “short-sighted” measure. The Institute of Directors and Guy Levin, the head of the Coalition for a Digital Economy also voiced criticism of May’s plan.
CityA.M