UK universities start laying off staff as anti-foreign student policies begin to bite hard

ABOUT 15 UK universities have announced plans to lay off staff  and even stop running some courses because of the sharp decline in enrolment by foreign students including Nigerians as a result of the government's anti-immigrant policies.

Under controversial plans to limit the number of migrants entering the country, the UK has placed a blanket-ban on the families of all foreign students entering the country. Nigerian students are expected to be among the most severely affected by the new law which states that only those doing postgraduate research or government-sponsored scholarship students will be exempted from the development.

According to a report by University World News, the sharp decline in foreign students enrolment was particularly felt at the postgraduate level as a result of the policy. Also, there are concerns too that the high cost of living being experienced globally may negatively affect enrolment of foreign students at the undergraduate level.

Apparently, the prestigious Russell Group universities, mid-tier universities and Scottish institutions, are all bearing the brunt of the current situation. Robert Gordon University (RGU) recently introduced a voluntary severance scheme in the face of staff redundancies due to its financial difficulties as a result of a notable decline in international student enrolments.

RGU cited escalating cost pressures and a considerable reduction in public funding as contributing factors. Across the UK, there has been a significant number of post-Brexit alterations in immigration policy, aimed at limiting visitors.