Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford baffled by Government's hostile student visa system

Professor Andrew Hamilton, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, has said that he is baffled by the Government's hostile student visa system.

Professor Hamilton made the comments in his annual oration at the start of the academic year.

"Now, I must say, however, wherever I travel in the world, particularly in China and India, one question persists. Why has the UK adopted a visa system so hostile to student entry? I do my best to answer but, frankly, the question baffles me as well. For the first time in decades, the number of international students at our universities in the UK has dropped, most markedly students from India," he said.

"Why are we doing this to them – and to ourselves? Why, at a time of continued economic constraint, are we limiting one of our most effective generators of overseas revenue?" he asked.

Professor Hamilton said research by the University of Oxford's own Migration Observatory has shown that overseas students are not seen as being linked to "immigration issues" by the public.

"There are few votes in restricting overseas student numbers," he said, adding that signs that this reality is beginning to dawn across the political spectrum is something to be welcomed and encouraged.

Professor Hamilton said the example of immigration gave "some sense of what universities like Oxford can bring to complex political and policy challenges; ones that defy the temptation to reach for simple or simplistic answers. In essence, we can provide the data, the understanding and the analysis to underpin arguments and the possible solutions for the problems we all face."

In related news, Nobel Prize winner John O'Keefe warned that Government policies on immigration are risking Britain's scientific standing.

BBC News reported on October 7th that the US-born neuroscientist told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the immigration rules were "a very, very large obstacle" to hiring the best scientists.

"I am very, very acutely aware of what you have to do if you want to bring people into Britain and to get through immigration, I'm not saying it's impossible, but we should be thinking hard about making Britain a more welcoming place," he was quoted as saying.

"Science is international, the best scientists can come from anywhere, they can come from next door or they can come from a small village in a country anywhere in the world - we need to make it easier. Britain punches way above its weight in science and I think we need to continue to do that and anything that makes it easier to bring scientists in will be very welcome."

In response, a Home Office spokesman told the BBC: "The UK is open to the brightest and best, including talented scientists and engineers, and it is wrong to suggest our policies prevent companies appointing the skilled workers they need."