MPs in the UK have said the government's current approach to post-study work for international students is 'short-sighted' and 'damaging to the economy' in an All-Parliamentary Party Group on Migration report published this week.

A staggering 50 UK private colleges have had their Tier 4 licences revoked and almost 100 bogus students have been removed from the country as a result of a Home Office investigation into exam and visa fraud. Additionally, more than 800 ‘enforcement visits’ have been paid to possible fraudulent individuals.

Onshore international students in the UK applying to study at UK higher education institutions are twice as likely to be accepted as those applying from overseas, new research from British consultancy, The Knowledge Partnership (TKP), has revealed.

The London School of Business and Finance has had its Highly Trusted Status reinstated, allowing it to recruit international students once more, following the suspension of 57 colleges's Tier 4 licences in June. So far 25 colleges have had their licences revoked and and three have surrendered their licences.

More changes are looming for the UK’s Tier 4 visa system as the government finetunes its new Immigration Act. Speaking at StudyWorld this week, UKVI's Bharat Pamnani said the government is planning on consolidating visitor visa categories and is considering offering a cheaper Premium Service for smaller providers.

Julian Huppert, MP for Cambridgeshire, has slammed the Home Office for its handling of the investigation into suspected exam and visa fraud describing its actions as "incredibly cavalier" and that it was “absolutely wrong to name and shame” the private colleges and universities without evidence of foul play.

Universities and colleges in the UK may lose their ability to recruit international students if more than 10% of the international students they recruit are refused visas, the Home Office has announced, as it continues its crackdown on immigration and visa abuse. A discretionary approach will be applied to those schools enrolling 50 or fewer students.

At the annual UKCISA association's conference, the leadership urged its student-facing members to boost advice and support for international students who are concerned by recent licence suspensions. Meanwhile, a survey of HE leaders has uncovered that government policy is among top concerns in international education.