Mark Harper, the immigration minister, has rejected calls from universities to remove overseas students from the net migrant count, saying there is no ¡°logical reason¡± to make the change.

Speaking to Times Higher Education in his first interview on students and immigration, Mr Harper sought to reassure universities that they are entering a stable period after major changes to the student visa regime.

The number of new non-European Union students enrolling on courses at UK higher education institutions fell in 2011-12, according to figures released last week by the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

The drop, from 174,225 to 173,560, was the first fall since such Hesa data began in 1995.

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There was also a large decrease in the number of students from the Indian subcontinent studying at UK universities, including a 24 per cent decline from India itself (see graphic below).

Won¡¯t go changing

Mr Harper, who replaced Damian Green as immigration minister in the reshuffle last September, said he had told sector representatives in recent meetings that ¡°broadly we¡¯ve done a lot of the big change and we¡¯re in an area where there will be a lot more policy stability¡±.

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And he has agreed with Universities UK and the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities that at ¡°a suitable point¡± there will be ¡°an opportunity when I will be able to say that directly¡­to their members¡±.

UUK has urged the government to withdraw international students sponsored by universities from the net migrant count - meaning that universities would be spared any effects of the government¡¯s drive to reduce net migration to the ¡°tens of thousands¡± by 2015.

However, when asked if he could envisage a situation where the government could make this change, Mr Harper issued a ¡°no¡±.

He added: ¡°The international definition that¡¯s used is that if you change your country of residence for more than a year, you are a migrant. Frankly, if we weren¡¯t going to count students, it¡¯s not obvious why we wouldn¡¯t count lots of other people.¡±

Migrant workers living in the UK for a short period and overseas students both use transport and public services, Mr Harper noted.

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¡°Yes, [the students are] paying fees to come here, but in the same way someone coming here to work for a private sector employer is contributing to that company¡¯s economic success. I don¡¯t see any logical reason why we would treat them [overseas students] differently,¡± he added.

Mr Harper noted Canada¡¯s proposal last month to limit study permits to students attending institutions designated by provinces and territories. ¡°Canada is one of the countries oft cited as a competitor country, and it is introducing a system actually very similar to ours,¡± he added.

Following UUK¡¯s criticisms about the supposedly negative impact overseas of the government¡¯s immigration ¡°rhetoric¡±, Mr Harper said that ministers ¡°always say that we want good students to come here, (that) we¡¯ve got a very high-quality university sector¡±.

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He added: ¡°Some of the rhetoric around the attractions or not of Britain are often not¡­made by ministers¡­sometimes they are even made by people in the sector, which is, I think, sometimes a little self-defeating.¡±

Mr Harper also defended the decision to strip London Metropolitan University of its licence to sponsor international students, describing it as ¡°absolutely right¡±.

However, he noted the concerns expressed over students ¡°who were here legitimately¡±.

Referring to the task force that was set up to help London Met¡¯s students, he said: ¡°Clearly, if some of that had been in place right at the beginning, then some of the publicity, particularly overseas, may have been more favourable. That¡¯s something I shall think about if we ever have to do this again.¡±

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john.morgan@tsleducation.com