Unite chief warns that visa cuts may send wrong signal abroad
THE CHIEF executive of student accommodation provider Unite said the government was “at risk of sending the wrong message” over its attitude to overseas students wanting to study in the UK after London Metropolitan university was yesterday stripped of its rights to sponsor visas.
Mark Allan said: “There is a balance between the pressure on the UK Border Agency to be seen to be doing something about immigration, and the real value that UK universities can bring to the economy as an export industry…I would hope that would translate into the risk being managed properly”.
His comments came as the group reported a 5.3 per cent jump in net asset value in the first half of the year, beating analyst expectations.
Recurring profits from operations doubled in the six months to 30 June to £14.4m, driven by high occupancy and strong rental growth.
Reservations remained robust at 87 per cent, down slight from 89 per cent last year when there was a rush ahead of a rise in tuition fees.