The University Chancellor has called for more Indian students following a ‘dramatic drop’ in their number at Leeds.

Broadcaster and peer, Melvyn Bragg criticised ‘clumsy visa changes’ and limited opportunities for international students to remain in the UK after studying, adding, “As we close our doors to these brilliant young people, the US and Australia can’t believe their luck”.

In a letter to the Guardian on Friday, Lord Bragg explained that the number of Indian masters students at the University dropped by two-thirds between 2009 and 2012.

He added that ‘anti-student immigration rhetoric’ had caused ‘outrage’ in India and was a ‘real blow’ to the UK.

The Chancellor’s comments followed an interview with George Osborne on Radio 4’s Today programme in which he admitted clamping down on international students who wanted to stay in the UK after university to work in “jobs that aren’t graduate-level jobs”.

Speaking to Leeds Student, a First-year international student said, “The ease of getting a student visa depends on your nationality, but applying to stay in the UK after university is a lot of effort”.

In 2012, the Government increased the income level needed to obtain a student visa and scrapped a programme allowing non-EU graduates to remain in the UK without securing high-level employment.

Charlotte Mason

Photo: The Guardian