VISA REFUSALS BASED ON TOEIC ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEST ALLEGATIONS

That this House notes the important contribution of international students to UK higher education; welcomes the presence of those who have entrusted their education to the UK; is concerned about the 35,870 students whose visas have been refused, revoked or curtailed due to allegations of cheating in the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) on the basis of doubtful evidence provided by the US testing firm ETS; urges the Government to allow those who have been accused of cheating on TOEIC and who remain in the UK to sit a new secure test; calls on the Government to reinstate the previous visa status of those who pass, granting them time to complete their studies and to clear their names of the allegations levelled at them; urges the Government to provide clarity on the 22,000 students whose tests ETS claimed were “questionable”; and further urges the Government to halt the detention and removal of students affected.