Dear Sir
Your article ("Our crazy immigration policy is losing us the talent our country badly needs", Evening Standard, 30 August) confused the number of students who overstayed their student visas with net migration, and implied that migration statistics were antiquated.
The Office for National Statistics does not produce estimates of student overstayers. The 100,000 figure is not a measure of overstayers - it is the difference between the estimate for Long-Term International Immigration for Study and long-term emigration of those who originally came to study.
ONS has long acknowledged that the current demands of migration statistics are pushing the International Passenger Survey beyond what it was designed for. There is clearly a need for more timely data, and the IPS plays a valuable role as a leading indicator of international migration going forward. I will be setting out our workplan for migration statistics in September.
Yours faithfully,
Iain Bell
Deputy National Statistician
Office for National Statistics
Government Buildings
Cardiff Road,
Newport NP10 8XG