Probe into claim that migration figures are lower than thought

THE Home Office has ordered a review into immigration figures amid claims the number of migrants staying in the UK is far lower than previously thought.

Figures released today are expected to reveal 97 per cent of non-EU international students left the country after finishing their studies.

The Office for National Statistics data, seen by The Daily Telegraph, casts doubt on the reliability of official immigration statistics – as it had previously been thought that thousands of international students were staying in the UK illegally after completing their studies.

Amber Rudd will today unveil a major investigation into the impact of foreign students on the UK economy.

The Home Secretary has asked an independent panel to carry out the most comprehensive assessment ever of foreign students, which will also take into account their impact on society.

The Migration Advisory Committee will look at tuition fees, students’ spending, their place in the labour market and whether overseas funding boosts the quality of education that UK students receive.

The investigation, due to report back by September next year, comes as the Home Office publishes the first data from exit checks at the border, after a system was introduced in April 2015 to check more stringently if visitors leave when their visas expire.

Miss Rudd’s request comes a month after a report revealed ministers do not know how many foreign students are illegally remaining, because of flaws in official data. The Office for Statistics Regulation condemned the quality of data used by the Government that suggested a third of 110,000 students stay illegally each year.

Despite the potential reduction in the official figures, Theresa May’s former aide Nick Timothy today warns that politicians must not be ‘squeamish’ about the social problems caused by immigration.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph he says: ‘Newcomers need to adopt our common laws, rules, norms and institutions … most migrants want to do so. They want to contribute and become full and active members of our society. But the arrival of large numbers from vastly different cultures can make that harder to achieve.

‘This is not an argument against immigration from different cultures. But if we are to absorb immigration in a way that maintains the values of our country … then immigration needs to be controlled, and lower.’

Cabinet ministers have warned Mrs May the Government will never meet the Tory pledge to cut net migration to tens of thousands unless foreign students are removed from the data.