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When the government originally consulted stakeholders, including universities and public authorities, on the removal of the post-study work route for international students, just 6?per cent of respondents argued that the tier-one path should be closed (¡°Let the right ones stay for payday¡±, News, 19?September). Yet the?decision was made to shut the scheme anyway.

Part of the attraction for overseas students in coming to the UK was the fact that the two-year post-study work visa allowed them time to apply for positions and gain valuable work experience before returning home. So the initial restrictions were and remain a cause for concern with regards to international student recruitment.

The subsequent exemption of doctoral candidates from the restrictions is a step in the right direction, but in a changeable job?market the bar is still set too high. Master¡¯s and first-class degree exemptions, as?suggested by Vince Cable, the business secretary, would be better still. And while I?agree with Steve West, vice-chancellor of the University of the West of England, that more ¡°ifs and buts¡± about exceptions are not necessarily desirable, given the bigger picture I would welcome even the chance of progress that Cable hints at.

James Pitman
Managing director
HE ¨C UK and Europe
Study Group