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Summary
Overseas students in Britain wanting to stay on and look for work after their courses end will no longer be able to do so under government plans to restrain immigration laid out yesterday; where as the English language test for the visas will also be more strict from now on.Hundreds of thousands of overseas students study at British universities each year, mostly from the Asian region, with numbers reaching record levels in 2009. The government wants to tighten controls on entry visas for overseas students to address concerns that illegal immigrants are using them as an easy way to get into the country. Immigration Minister Damian Green said that this government wants high caliber students with the genuine desire to study to come to our country for temporary periods, and then return home. An overhaul of the student visa system would reduce the number of people entering Britain to study below degree level, as well as toughen English language requirements and limit students rights to work. Attracting talented students from abroad is vital to the UK but we must be more selective about who can come here and how long they can stay. Too many students coming to study at below degree level have been coming here to live and work. We need to stop this abuse, he added. The student route currently accounts for two-thirds of migrants entering the country each year. If the governments proposals are passed, students will have to leave the country and apply for a new visa to further their studies.
