Foreign students could be barred from taking 'low quality' courses

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• Comes after figures show net immigration remains far above 2019 election level

Foreign students could be barred from taking 'low quality' postgraduate courses in Britain under new plans to cut immigration.

Rishi Sunak is considering the move amid concern that the so-called 'graduate route' is being exploited as a back door route to a new life in the UK.

The Prime Minister is set to order a clampdown on the use of recruitment agents by universities seeking to attract more foreign students.

But he is also looking at proposals to limit graduate visas to only the most prestigious courses.

The moves come ahead of official figures this week which are expected to show that although net immigration is falling from record highs, it still remains far above the level at the 2019 election, which the Conservatives pledged to reduce.

Mr Sunak is said to be concerned that some universities are offering 'low quality' postgraduate courses to foreign students who are willing to pay in return for a visa that allows them to work for at least two years in the UK after completing their studies.

Government sources pointed to figures from HM Revenue and Customs showing that 41 per cent of those using the graduate visa to work were earning less than £15,000.

But any move to tighten the rules further will face resistance from senior Cabinet ministers - and a backlash from universities, which rely heavily on income from foreign students, who can be charged higher fees.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said on Friday that existing changes to the immigration rules were already cutting immigration and suggested there was no need to go further in limiting student numbers.

He said the Government would 'continue to support sustainable increases in international students coming to the UK'.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has also indicated she would oppose moves to ban foreign students taking lower quality postgraduate degrees, saying: 'This can't all be about PPEs from Oxford.'

Their case was bolstered last week by a report from the Migration Advisory Committee, which found there was no evidence of 'widespread abuse' of the scheme.

Despite this, Whitehall sources confirmed the PM is examining options to 'tighten' the graduate route so that it is open to only the 'brightest and the best'.

Reforms introduced earlier this year, including banning masters students from bringing family members with them, have already led to a sharp fall in applications.

But a No 10 spokesman said the PM 'still thinks there's further to go,' adding: 'We are committed to attracting the best and brightest to study at our world-class universities whilst preventing the abuse of our immigration system.'

This week's figures from the Office of National Statistics are expected to show that arrivals have slowed slightly. The latest figures showed net immigration in the 12 months to June last year stood at 672,000 - far above the 212,000 recorded at the time of the last election.

Mr Sunak unveiled major reforms last year, including banning foreign social care workers from bringing family members with them. These were not introduced in time to impact the latest figures, which will show net immigration in the 12 months to the end of December.

Brian Bell, chairman of the Migration Advisory Committee, said last week there was a 'fighting chance' the reforms already announced would slash net migration to pre-2019 levels, potentially cutting the total to as little as 150,000.

Meanwhile, Mr Sunak will travel to Vienna for talks tomorrow (TUES) with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer on tackling illegal migration. Austria is one of 19 EU countries now considering copying Britain's flagship Rwanda plan to deal with crisis on the continent.

The PM said Labour's determination to scrap the Rwanda scheme would 'play into the hands of the smuggling gangs and risk our national security. He added: 'Countries across Europe now see a meaningful deterrent is the only way to break the model of the smuggling gangs and stop the boats.'