Short-term gain

According to the Home Office, new fees for visa extensions will save the UK taxpayer £90 million a year, £ million of which will be from students ("Fury over visa extension fee", THES , July 18).

International students generate more than £1.3 billion a year. A fee of £155 will not only discourage international students from enrolling in UK universities, at a cost to the British economy, but will put a financial strain on current students who will have to renew their visas for short extensions.

Deerajen Ramasawmy
International Student Association
Loughborough University