11 June 2010
The UK's largest provider of English language qualifications has welcomed an Early Day Motion put forward by MPs calling for changes to the criteria for international student visas.
Regulations introduced earlier this year say that students from outside the EU who want to study in the UK for more than 6 months need to have an intermediate level of English before they come here.
The motion proposed by the MPs for Eastbourne, Cambridge, Ceredigion and St Ives describes the arrangements introduced by the previous Government in March as "rushed and flawed” and says that they threaten an important sector of the UK economy, as well as damaging our standing as a world leader in education.
CEO of Cambridge English Language Assessment, Dr Michael Milanovic, said: "We hope that this motion will provide the impetus to re-examine the criteria for student visas so that they are fair to everyone. There needs to be a robust system that doesn't discriminate against legitimate students but also prevents people coming to live and work in the UK by pretending to be students."