Fake foreign students vanish into black market jobs and cost taxpayers £493 million a year

Bogus students from overseas are costing taxpayers up to £493million a year, a report claims.
The study by think-tank Migrationwatch says tens of thousands of foreign students are ‘disappearing underground’ to take jobs on the black market.
They are filling up to 32,000 posts which could be legally held by the 2.5million unemployed British workers, the report says.

Genuine students, but Migrationwatch says tens of thousands of foreign students are 'disappearing underground' to take jobs in the black market

It adds that the cost of paying unemployment and housing benefit to those who lose out to bogus students is as much as £471million a year.
And because the NHS does not carry out stringent checks on those needing emergency treatment, the study estimates the illegal workers cost a further £16million in health care. Educating their children is estimated at an additional £6million.
Migrationwatch chairman Sir Andrew Green called on the Government to clamp down on bogus students.
He said: ‘By working illegally they take a job that would otherwise be available for a British worker who remains unemployed.’
He added: ‘Such illegal workers also tend to hold down wages at the lower end and enable unscrupulous employers to compete unfairly with honest employers who offer decent wages and conditions.’