Student visas were used so extensively by Indians to gain the right to work in the UK that they became known as ¡°marriage dowries¡±, the head of migration policy at the ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Office has said.

At a conference in London on 22 January, Glyn Williams argued that the visa route had become a ¡°vehicle for abuse¡± before the government tightened the rules.

¡°In India, UK student visas became known as the ¡®marriage dowry¡¯ because female Indian students were able to bring over their partners to work in the UK,¡± he said.

The coalition¡¯s introduction of ¡°educational oversight¡±, its inspection regime for institutions looking to sponsor international students, had resulted in around 500 private colleges withdrawing from the system, Mr Williams added.

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¡°This action would have been taken by any government,¡± he told the conference, Improving the International Student Experience.

His comments come after figures released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency earlier this month showed a 24 per cent drop in the number of Indian students attending UK universities in 2011-12.

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But the overall number of overseas students grew slightly because of a rise in the number of entrants from China.

Mr Williams said that the prospect of working in the UK was a greater draw for Indian students than for their Chinese peers.

He also tried to strike a more conciliatory tone with the sector and said that there would now be a period of ¡°policy stability¡± in relation to international students.

But he warned that this would have to be a ¡°two-way street¡±.

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¡°Hardly a week goes by when I don¡¯t open a newspaper¡­and find some attack has been launched on an aspect of the government¡¯s migration policy. I think people need to reflect on whether that¡¯s a productive use of their time,¡± he said.

Asked about the revocation in August 2012 of London Metropolitan University¡¯s licence to sponsor international students, Mr Williams said that ¡°lessons can be learned on both sides in terms of the way these things are managed¡±.

david.matthews@tsleducation.com.