Foreign students who miss ten classes in a row will be reported to the Government under plans to curb illegal immigration announced yesterday.

Universities and colleges will have to keep records of non-EU students and alert authorities if they miss ten university tutorials or two weeks of a course at an English language school or college of further education.

They will also have to inform the Government’s UK Border Agency if a student fails to enrol by a set date.

The proposals are part of an overhaul of the student visa scheme, in preparation for the introduction of a points-based immigration system.

Critics said that the plan would make colleges and universities responsible for policing immigrations, which was not appropriate or effective.

Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, was concerned that the plan had been “pulled together without any consultation” with educational institutions.

Bill Rammell, the Higher Education Minister, said that the new system would not deter international students from applying to British universities. He could not say how many foreign students vanished each year.

Damian Green, the Shadow Immigration Minister, said that the proposal was full of loopholes.

Times Recommends

• Tower block death blaze ‘suspicious’
• Licence payers fund BBC chief's £8m pension
• Potter star falls victim to swine flu