The House of Commons Education Select Committee has backed the Tes #LetThemTeach campaign to stop non-EU foreign teachers from being deported from the UK.

A letter, published on Twitter this afternoon, was written by the Conservative chair of the committee, Robert Halfon, and addressed to the home secretary, Sajid Javid.

“I am writing to you on behalf of the education committee to ask that you add the teaching profession to the ‘shortage occupation list’,” the letter says.

”I recently backed the #LetThemTeach campaign after seeing the figures for the numbers of international teachers failing to secure UK visas.

“According to an investigation by Tes magazine, between December 2017 and April 2018 there were approximately 300 applications for certificates of sponsorship on behalf of teachers, but more than four-fifths of these were turned down.”

Teacher recruitment crisis

Mr Halfon goes on: “Ucas figures in January showed that applications for teacher training were down by a third on last year. 

“At the same time, teachers are leaving the profession in worrying numbers.

“In order to prevent a further decline in teacher numbers, we ask that you include the profession on the list, and stop non-EU international teachers from being turned away.”

Tes has created a parliamentary petition to stop non-EU international teachers from being refused visas to work in Britain.

If the petition hits 10,000 signatures, the government is obliged to formally respond to it. If it hits 100,000 signatures, the issue will be considered for a debate in Parliament. To add your name to the petition, click here.