In the last 12 months, the number of visas issued to foreign students in the UK has dropped by a fifth on the year before.

Are the current regulations too restrictive?

Edward Acton, vice chancellor of the University of East Anglia is in favour of maintaining a liberal stance on this issue and argues there is a strong economic reason for it. "For every 10 international students, six British jobs are supported," he says.

Sir Andrew Green, chair of Migration Watch argues that the economic case put forward by Mr Acton "pales into insignificance, compared to the immigration problem in the UK".

He focuses on what he refers to as a "developing conflict of interest" between the desire from academic instiutions for more international students, and the "strong desire of the public to get immigration down".