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'International students deliver huge benefits to the UK, and our attractiveness to global talent is a real success story. Central to the growth in numbers we have seen in recent years - which contributes more than £25 billion a year to our economy - has been the successful implementation of the government’s International Education Strategy and the introduction of the Graduate route. This allows students to work in the UK for two or three years after completing their studies, contributing much needed skills and expertise to our workforce.

However, we recognise that the growth in the number of dependents may have exceeded planning assumptions and that this has created some concerns for government, and indeed challenges in some areas of the UK - for example, around access to suitable family accommodation. We are committed to working with Government to understand these issues and to find solutions that ensure the UK continues to welcome international students and that we are able to grow numbers in a sustainable way that protects both the quality of the student experience and the UK’s global competitiveness.

International students need clarity and certainty over visa policy, and so we call on the government to recommit to the ambitions set out in the International Education Strategy to deliver stable and managed growth over the long-term, and to maintaining Graduate route - both of which are central to the UK’s attractiveness to prospective students, and our reputation as a global leader in international higher education.'