Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Nick Jennings says universities welcome the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) review findings, but more still needs to be done to ensure international students feel welcome and supported in the UK.

It is a great relief that the MAC review has found what we in the sector already knew, that there is no evidence of widespread abuse of the UK’s graduate visa route.

At Loughborough we are justifiably proud of our international community. Students and staff from across the world enhance the cultural diversity of our campuses and local regions, bringing different perspectives that inform our teaching, research and innovation activity. The skills, knowledge and experiences international students acquire during their studies enable them to a have a significant economic and social impact – both here in the UK and in their home nations.

A recent report looking at the economic gain to the UK of hosting international students found the net benefit associated with just one annual cohort to be around £37.4 billion. And data from UUK shows universities make a £130 billion contribution per year to the UK economy and support more than 750,000 jobs.

Working with our partners in Government, we need to celebrate the contribution international students and universities make. The sector needs to unite in challenging the often-toxic narrative that surrounds this debate by sharing stories that truly reflect the transformative impact of our international communities.

And I would echo the call from UUK for the Government to provide much needed reassurance, both to universities and international students, that the Graduate route is here to stay. It is crucial the sector has stability.