Governments student visa proposals causing real concern to Town MP

New proposals by the Government for the current system of student visas have not been welcome news to a Shrewsbury Language school, who have rallied the Town’s MP Daniel Kawczynski to oppose the measures in Parliament.

The Government has recently announced that the Home Office and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will be conducting a review of student visas to look at the case for raising the minimum level of course for which foreign students can get a visa. Rather than curb illegal immigration into the country, the concerns of language schools such as Severnvale academy of Claremont Hill, is that should the proposals become law, it will halt legitimate forms immigration, putting them out of business.

Severnvale school brings around 550 foreign students (adults and teenagers) per annum to Shrewsbury, contributing around £1.5 million to the local economy. Its managing director James Rogers stated that ‘The Government is shooting one of the UK’s most profitable invisible exports in the foot and potentially, my school through the heart’

The school have called on Shrewsbury’s MP Daniel Kawczynski to call the Government to reverse these proposals. Daniel said ‘ This Government have completely failed to keep control of our country’s borders, and instead are picking on an easy target of legitimate immigration. If the Government adopts these proposals, it could effectively close not just Severnvale, but every language school across the country.’

Commenting on the consultation process of the policy, Daniel further stated ‘ I have written to the Minister of State Mr Phil Woolas to tell him that his Government’s proposals will stop hundreds of foreign students coming to our wonderful town, costing them a fantastic experience, and us, over one million pounds investment in our local economy.’

7th December 2009


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