Current Home Office proposals to remove the working rights of international students at private higher education colleges will create a two-tier system. Under the proposals, students on a university-accredited degree course taught at a private college will not have the right to work part-time, whereas students at public institutions will. Private institutions seeking to attract international students will be competing on an uneven playing field which is against the government's HE plans.

In 'Tier 4 Fears: why government student visa proposals are unfair', CentreForum proposes an alternative. Non-EU students studying degree courses at private colleges should have the right to work part-time, as long as the awarding university is prepared to sponsor the students' visa applications. That way, universities could continue to expand the scope of their degree courses through collaboration with the most suitable providers.

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