Contributions
2,215 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDStudent VisasI do think the package of measures that we have announced will make a tangible difference to net migration. Taken together with the easing of exceptional factors, such as Hong…24 May 2023HANSARDStudent VisasWe have given careful thought to this announcement, as I have said, and we have worked closely with the Department for Education, which is of course the bridge to universities. It…24 May 2023HANSARDStudent VisasNo, we will not devolve immigration policy to the Scottish Government: it is right that the UK benefits from one immigration policy and that is the way it will always continue to…24 May 2023HANSARDStudent VisasThe education of international students is an important export industry. I believe that it is the UK’s fourth or fifth-biggest export industry, and that is a good thing, and it is…24 May 2023HANSARDStudent VisasAs I said, we have already met our target of 600,000 students coming to the UK from overseas. That is 10 years early; in fact, last year there were 605,000. We expect the numbers…24 May 2023HANSARDStudent VisasIf the hon. Lady is referring to pressure on school places, that would be a good argument for reducing the number of dependants coming to the UK, because the children of the…24 May 2023HANSARDStudent VisasI respect my right hon. Friend and his deep knowledge of this area, but I do not think it is helpful to change the way in which the statistics are reported. I do think that we…24 May 2023HANSARDStudent VisasI am delighted to hear that the hon. Gentleman has had a damascene conversion to tighter border controls. Unfortunately, I do not think the British public will believe that. It is…24 May 2023HANSARDStudent VisasI have affection for the hon. Lady, but she is probably the greatest nimby in the House of Commons today. She always opposes new homes, new development and new infrastructure in…24 May 2023HANSARDStudent VisasWe believe the changes we are setting out today will make a marked impact on net migration. We will, obviously, monitor them very closely for some of the unintended consequences…24 May 2023HANSARDStudent VisasAs I said in answer to an earlier question, the economic benefit of international students is clear. We welcome that, but we do not want British universities to become totally…24 May 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsI know how strongly my hon. Friend feels about this issue. I will of course look into those contracts, but the enduring solution to this issue is to stop the boats in the first…22 May 2023HANSARDYarl’s Wood: SercoI join my hon. Friend in thanking Bedfordshire police for leading the national response to the incident. He is correct that of the eight men who escaped, only one now remains at…22 May 2023HANSARDIllegal Immigration Bill: Devolved AdministrationsThe Bill is based on the simple principle that we want to break the people smugglers’ and human traffickers’ business model. By supporting the Bill—I know the hon. Lady opposes…22 May 2023HANSARDIllegal Immigration Bill: Devolved AdministrationsI am grateful to my right hon. Friend. When she was Home Secretary, she set out the policy to create large sites on which to house asylum seekers in a more focused and less…22 May 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsI can assure the hon. Lady that our intention is that there will be no diminution in accommodation standards, whether for asylum seekers or anybody else, but it is critical that…22 May 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsI would be happy to take a further look and to learn from my hon. Friend’s experience. I am pleased to say that UK Visas and Immigration is now processing all new visit visa…22 May 2023HANSARDVisa Applications from Afghanistan: Women and GirlsI would be very happy to look into that. I remember that the hon. and learned Lady has campaigned on this issue for some time, since the fall of Kabul, so perhaps a useful way…22 May 2023HANSARDVisa Applications from Afghanistan: Women and GirlsI would be pleased to look at the material that my right hon. Friend recommends to me, in particular the early-day motion. The treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan by the…22 May 2023HANSARDVisa Applications from Afghanistan: Women and GirlsAs my hon. Friend has said, the Taliban have banned Afghan women and girls from competing in sports and exercising in gyms. Afghan women who competed in sports, ranging from…22 May 2023