'Visa law is a mistake'-Bournemouth MP
Wednesday 30th June,2010

A Bournemouth MP in his inaugural speech at the Commons launched a scathing attack on the Home Office’s visa laws stating it was detrimental to his constituency.

Conservative Conor Burns found the laws ‘ridiculous’ questioning  why overseas students have to speak English at intermediary level rather than basic before they could come study in Britain.

Mr Burns stated the laws could cost Bournemouth language school industry about £200 million appealing to the government to examine the situation.

“English is the language of world commerce and if we shut off the ability of those schools to thrive... in time we will look back and realise that we made a very fundamental mistake,” he predicted.

On English, a Bournemouth professor, Dr Lorraine Brown said: “The best way to learn a it is to be immersed in the culture where the language is spoken rather than just speaking it an hour per day.”

Junior home office minister James Brokenshire explained that students who did not have an intermediate command of English could still apply for student visitor status, allowing them six months in the country.

But he said the immigration minister would conduct a “thorough evaluation” of the system.

Islamic spokesperson says government's visa tightening scheme is ‘the highest form of hypocrisy’.

Education heads warn the UK is in danger of being portrayed as a snob nation.

Bournemouth MP slams visa law and appeals to government to review it.