London, Mar. 25 (ANI): Over 100,000 foreign students are suspected of using the education system to enter Britain illegally in 2012, according to figures.
The finding raises concerns that new rules to keep a check on abuse are being routinely flouted. The number of alerts has jumped 20-fold since 2011, reports Express.co.uk.
The figures reveal the UK Border Agency received 106,698 warnings in the academic year 2011/12. This compares with 77,757 the previous year and 4,795 in the 12 months before that. The total number of foreign students rose only slightly from 405,805 in 2009-10 to 435,235 in 2011-12.
David Davies, Tory MP for Monmouth and a former member of the Home Affairs Committee, said colleges are under new obligations to make these reports and they indicate how it is highly likely that large numbers of foreign students have abused the system over many years.
Under the regulations introduced in 2009, anyone from outside the EU coming to study full-time must be sponsored by a college or university licensed by the UK Border Agency.
Colleges, universities and language schools that do not report concerns face losing their licence to sponsor students, known as "highly trusted status". Since 2009, more than 800 such institutions have lost their licence. (ANI)
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