Manchester Metropolitan professor calls for change to international student visa rules

An official from Manchester Metropolitan University has called for the government to scrap a rule that prevents some international students from bringing their families to the UK.

Professor Jennifer Watling, the pro-vice-chancellor for international and plant scientist at MMU, said that the restrictive rule has led to a fall in the admissions from overseas students.

This rule was introduced in 2024, brought in by the Conservative government to limit migration to the UK. The Labour government has said previously that they have no intention of lifting this ban.

Professor Watling told the BBC that international students brought “value in terms of cultural richness and diversity” alongside being important sources of funding for many universities.

She added that the cap on domestic student fees means that universities “have to obtain income from sources other than UK students.”

According to 2024 admission figures by Universities UK, there are more than 51,000 international students in the north west of England.

International students pay an average of £22,000 annually, but UCAS say that some pay as much as £38,000.

Rose Stephenson, from the Higher Education Policy Institute, told the BBC: “For Manchester, there was an economic benefit of £450 million which actually translates to over £3,500 per resident, again per cohort of international students coming in.”

The fees for UK undergraduate students are set to rise to £9,535 a year from September 2025.

Margarida Vasconcelos, a digital marketing student at MMU, referred back to her own experience in Manchester: “There are a lot of international students and opportunities, people from different cultures, religions, so it makes it us feel more welcome – it was why I wanted to come to Manchester.”

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A home office spokesman commented to the BBC: “This government strongly values the contribution that international students make to our economy, to our education institutions and to our society.”

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