Meeting of the Parliament 04 October 2016
I fully appreciate the point that Ross Greer makes. Staff and students in universities have made the same point to me when I have visited them, and they continue to do so.
We are actively considering the contribution that we can make to moving forward the debate on that. We are looking at the 2017-18 cohort. I fully appreciate the concerns that the universities have about that.
I am very proud that our universities are a destination of choice for staff and students from not just the EU, but across the globe. My ministerial colleagues have urged the UK Government to clarify at the earliest possible opportunity the immigration status of EU nationals who will be living in Britain once the UK formally leaves the EU.
I welcome the consensus in Scotland that we need to return to providing a post-study route to allow talented students to remain and contribute to the Scottish economy. The outcome of the EU referendum makes that more critical. I was therefore disappointed to see that the UK Government pilot scheme on post-study work visas applied to only four institutions in England, and I am greatly concerned by reports from the Conservative Party conference this afternoon about Amber Rudd’s placing of further restrictions on the number of international students who can come to Scotland and the UK.