To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of students at universities required to pay full fees because of changes to the immigration status of their parents as a result of amendments to the Highly Skilled Migrants Programme. (231587)

Dependants of highly skilled migrants are required to pay full student fees up until the point at which they obtain indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

The November 2006 amendments to the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme, taken in conjunction with the remedies applied as a result of the successful Judicial Review, did not affect the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain in the UK so therefore did not affect the number of dependants required to pay full fees at UK universities.