A House of Commons Early Day Motion calling for changes to the criteria for allocating international student visas has won the approval of English-language assessment provider Cambridge ESOL.

Regulations introduced earlier this year stipulated that students from outside the EU who want to study in the UK for more than six months must have an intermediate level of English before they come here. The motion, proposed by the MPs for Eastbourne, Cambridge, Ceredigion and St Ives, describes the arrangements introduced by the previous Government in March as "rushed and flawed", and says that they threaten an important sector of the UK economy, as well as damaging the country’s standing as a world leader in education.

Dr Michael Milanovic, CEO of University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, says, "We hope that this motion will provide the impetus to re-examine the criteria for student visas so that they are fair to everyone. There needs to be a robust system that doesn't discriminate against legitimate students but also prevents people coming to live and work in the UK by pretending to be students."