The government might be targeting "phantom students" in its efforts to control migration, a study suggests. The number of non-EU migrants who come to the UK to study but remain five years later could be about half that ministers claim, say researchers.
The "current self-destructive policy is deterring genuine international students", says the Institute for Public Policy Research.
Ministers say it is crucial to crack down on immigration abuse.
Ministers say official statistics suggest that each year about 91,000 non-EU students do not leave the UK at the end of their studies. This figure is an extrapolation of data from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) carried out annually by the Home Office on a sample of travellers at UK ports, says the IPPR.
Arrivals who plan to stay more than a year are asked their main reason for coming to the UK - and people who leave after more than a year are asked what they were doing while they were in the UK.
For students, the difference between the two figures is about 90,000 - so reducing this figure would help the government in its objective of cutting overall net migration. But this approach is based on "dubious evidence", says the report.
