The number of Indian students coming to study in Britain has declined by 50% since 2010.

This fall saw the number of Indian students in Britain in 2013 falling to as low as 19,750 making up only 6% share of total students. The figures which stem from the 2009/10 academic year, equate to 50% decline. However, the Chinese numbers have increased by 50%.

Experts believe that Indian students were being put off by an unwelcome visa regime as well as carrying the burden of an ‘immigration’ label. This basically restricts the amount of time or ‘grace period’ Indian students can spend in Britain looking for job opportunities before they can renew their visa after graduation.

According to data provided by London First and Price Waterhouse Coopers, there is also a myth that international students are a burden on public services, such as the NHS. Instead, they were shown to contribute a total of £2.8 billion through the spending they bring to the country while only consuming £540 million in public spending. International students, therefore, benefit the British economy by at least £2.3 billion annually.

The report recommends that Britain should follow the lead of other countries such as Canada and Australia and stop classifying students as immigrants. They are here for a short time only and by choosing to study in Britain, they are contributing to jobs, growth and cultural understanding in this country. The government should reinstate the automatic option or make it easier for international students to work here for a few years after graduation.

International students in universities come from over 190 countries. Britain is just below the USA in terms of the total number and diversity of international students in its higher education institutions. Around 30% of international students across all British higher education institutions were of Chinese descent (87,895 out of a total of 310,195).

In total, during the 2013/14 academic year, international students contributed £1,003 million in fee income to London universities. The report estimates that the direct income from tuition fees contributed £1,317 million to UK GDP; £717 million directly, £183 million via the supply chain and £417 million via the spending of employees.

Also, the £1,003 million in tuition fee income from international students generated a total of 32,800 jobs.  In total, friends and relatives that visit international students in London spent £62 million in 2013/14. This spending will contribute £65 million to Britain’s GDP.

In 2013-14, there were almost 67,500 international students attending London universities – making up 18% of the total student population in the capital, and 22% of the 310,000 international students in Britain.