NUS call to prioritise international students in Brexit negotiations

The National Union of Students (NUS) have made it their top priority in the Brexit negotiations campaign to ensure that international students are welcome in the UK.

There are three other key issues the NUS wants addressed in the Brexit negotiations. One of them is to provide urgent clarity for EU nationals, for students and academics alike, whose job security may be at risk.

Another point raised is to ensure that student mobility is maintained, especially in terms of preserving the Erasmus programme, in which Warwick takes part as well. Preserving UK-EU academic collaboration is another priority for the Union.

The NUS is also calling on students to write to their MPs, demanding that the four key issues outlined are taken into account and upheld during the negotiations.

Students have expressed their wish to have a referendum on the Brexit terms, with a NUS survey showing that almost two-thirds of students say they would want a vote on this matter.

Malia Bouattia, outgoing president of the NUS, said: “We are fighting to shape the terms on which Brexit takes place.”

“This comes with a certain difficulty, because of the lack of clarity coming from Westminster, but it is our collective task as a movement to fight for better education, to fight for students, for migrants, and for all those who are faced with adverse circumstances.”

“The way we rise to these challenges will shape the future of our sector and our society for years to come.”

Gabriel Dumfahrt, a first-year PPE student, commented for The Boar: “Personally, I am not too worried about Brexit and its implications. I believe that both the UK and the EU recognize the value of intellectual cooperation and will try to find ways in which universities stay affordable and accessible to a wide range of capable students.

“However, if no such agreement emerges from the negotiation, I truly see myself parting ways with the UK and its academic institutions.”