Our Policy Position

International

We work closely with government and support members in several areas of international policy. We focus on:
– the application of the Tier 4 student visa and migration
– working with Universities UK International to influence the development of international research programmes, such as Hozion Europe
– supporting campaigns such as Study UK, Discover You, which promotes the benefits of a UK education to international students.

We deliver joint projects with others to ensure that small and specialist viewpoints are revealed. See links to our work for our project with Uniac on Tier 4 processes and the key risks associated with this.

Brexit

We work with members, Universities UK International, and other sector bodies to ensure that Higher Education takes a central place in the negotiation of the UK’s exit from the EU and the future relationship.

Gordon McKenzie, GuildHE’s CEO, sits on the Government’s high level stakeholder working Group on EU exit, universities, research and innovation (read their Terms of Reference here). Staff regularly engage with colleagues from the Department for Education, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for Exiting the EU and the British Council.

Key Priorities
– Guaranteeing the current status of non-UK EU staff and students in the UK, and that of UK staff and students based elsewhere in the EU
– Ensuring that UK academics are able to collaborate with researchers across the EU and further afield
– Securing continued access to EU research and innovation funding streams, such as the Horizon 2020 programme, or gaining adequate alternative funding
– Fostering globally aware students through Erasmus+ and other exchange programmes

More information on sector priorities can be found on the Universities UK website.

We also emphasises the following priorities:
– Protecting UK HE’s ability to recruit and retain talented students, academics and support staff from around the world
– Safeguarding development provided by EU structural funding programmes through continue involvement or by making alternative provisions
– Providing long-term certainty for the UK HE Sector

High-level working group terms of reference.