Study shows thousands of foreign students remain unaccounted for

THOUSANDS OF foreign students remain unaccounted for after the Home Office showed a lack of urgency in tracing them, according to an inspection report.

The immigration watchdog warned last year that there was no process in place to monitor individuals in a category which had more than 70,000 cases, meaning the number who have stayed in the country illegally was unknown.

The figure has been reduced since the issue was first highlighted by the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration David Bolt.

But following a re-inspection, it emerged that around 16,000 overseas nationals have still not been located by immigration authorities.

Mr Bolt acknowledged that “data matching and cleansing” has substantially reduced the figure.

However, his assessment said there had been no directly related enforcement activity, adding: “I believe that the Home Office’s approach has lacked urgency, a view that the Home Office strongly disputes.

“The Home Office’s case would be helped if it were to set a clear timescale for the completion of this work.”

The latest findings relate to the system for cutting short the stay in the UK of those who come to the country for study purposes.

Students from outside Europe must apply under tier four of the points-based visa system and produce a form from a licensed education establishment which acts as their sponsor.

A Home Office spokesman said it had made “significant progress” against recommendations in the previous report.