International students bring £3.2bn to economy

A REPORT has concluded that tax and National Insurance paid by foreign students who stay in the UK to work after their studies totals £3.2bn.

The analysis, which was conducted by London Economics and commissioned by the Higher Education Policy Institute and Kaplan International Pathways, also shows that foreign students who remain in the UK after they graduate find work in sectors that are suffering from skill shortages.

The report has been welcomed by the NUS (National Union of Students). Speaking in an NUS press release, Yinbo Yu, international student’s officer for the NUS said: “This is an important and timely report. The contribution that international students make to the UK’s universities, economy, communities and global standing is already clear. Every constituency in the UK is better off economically because of students and the surveys show the public support international students.”

“Now we know this benefit to the UK doesn’t end at graduation but continues as international graduates work in areas of staff shortages such as medicine or teaching, or key areas of the economy such as IT and manufacturing. The consequence is a £3.2 billion bonus to the UK economy.”

The findings have also been praised by the #WeAreInternational campaign.

A spokesperson for #WeAreInternational said: “This report makes clear for the first time that international graduates not only provide skills in areas of the economy where there are real shortages, but they also make a major contribution to the UK through their taxes.”

“At a time when the government has itself acknowledged the opportunity to attract more international students to the UK, and committed to review policies to support growth, this report underpins the case to reinstate the competitive post-study work rights for which students themselves have long lobbied.”

The #WeAreInternational campaign lobbies to bring about change in policy regarding the benefits of international students, teachers, and researchers across the UK.