Business barons ask UK govt to allow more students
23 July 2012 12:50 AM GMT
Britain’s most prominent business leaders – including Indian-origin Karan Bilimoria of Cobra Beer – appealed to Prime Minister David Cameron on Sunday to remove foreign students from official immigration figures to avoid choking off a valuable source of wealth and skills.
In a letter published in The Sunday Times, the 37 business leaders warn that visa restrictions designed to bring net immigration below 100,000 a year would deter wealthy foreigners from outside the European Union.
Among those calling on Cameron to reverse the policy are Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP; Lord Jones, former director-general of the Confederation of British Industry and trade minister; and Lord Bilimoria, the Cobra beer co-founder who came to Britain as a student.
The leaders say in the letter that Britain needs ‘to be able to attract the best minds from around the world’ and that the country needs ‘to send a clear message that genuine international students are welcome to study in the UK. They are integral to the success of British business and we must do everything we can to ensure their future contribution is not compromised.’
In an editorial titled Britain needs the world’s best brains, The Sunday Times supported the business leaders and said: ‘Our universities have long been a magnet for the brightest and best students from around the world.
‘Their talents enrich our universities intellectually and through their fees they also help the universities to balance their books. For many higher education institutions, the fee income from foreign students has been a lifeline in tough times.’
Chief executives of more than 20 multinational corporations called on 46 countries to lift restrictions on travellers who are HIV positive. In a statement, issued on day one of the International AIDS Conference in Washington, they pledged to oppose HIV-related travel restrictions wherever they are in force, calling them both discriminatory and bad for business.
‘In today’s competitive landscape where global business travel is essential, we need to be able to send our talent and skills where they’re needed,’ said Levi Strauss chief executive Chip Bergh. In a summary on its web site updated in June 2011, UNAIDS named five countries – Egypt, Iraq, Qatar, Singapore and Turks and Caicos Island – that deny visas to people with HIV ‘for even short-term stays.’
‘There is no evidence that these restrictions protect public health,’ said Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, which keeps a running tab on nations that restrict or ban travellers with HIV.
‘They are discriminatory and violate international human rights standards,’ he added.
In a letter published in The Sunday Times, the 37 business leaders warn that visa restrictions designed to bring net immigration below 100,000 a year would deter wealthy foreigners from outside the European Union.
Among those calling on Cameron to reverse the policy are Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP; Lord Jones, former director-general of the Confederation of British Industry and trade minister; and Lord Bilimoria, the Cobra beer co-founder who came to Britain as a student.
The leaders say in the letter that Britain needs ‘to be able to attract the best minds from around the world’ and that the country needs ‘to send a clear message that genuine international students are welcome to study in the UK. They are integral to the success of British business and we must do everything we can to ensure their future contribution is not compromised.’
In an editorial titled Britain needs the world’s best brains, The Sunday Times supported the business leaders and said: ‘Our universities have long been a magnet for the brightest and best students from around the world.
‘Their talents enrich our universities intellectually and through their fees they also help the universities to balance their books. For many higher education institutions, the fee income from foreign students has been a lifeline in tough times.’
Chief executives of more than 20 multinational corporations called on 46 countries to lift restrictions on travellers who are HIV positive. In a statement, issued on day one of the International AIDS Conference in Washington, they pledged to oppose HIV-related travel restrictions wherever they are in force, calling them both discriminatory and bad for business.
‘In today’s competitive landscape where global business travel is essential, we need to be able to send our talent and skills where they’re needed,’ said Levi Strauss chief executive Chip Bergh. In a summary on its web site updated in June 2011, UNAIDS named five countries – Egypt, Iraq, Qatar, Singapore and Turks and Caicos Island – that deny visas to people with HIV ‘for even short-term stays.’
‘There is no evidence that these restrictions protect public health,’ said Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, which keeps a running tab on nations that restrict or ban travellers with HIV.
‘They are discriminatory and violate international human rights standards,’ he added.
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