Britain to impose stricter rules on immigrants: Home Secretary

London, Oct 6 Britain Home Secretary Amber Rudd told the Conservative Party annual conference in Birmingham that stricter rules for immigration was not a case of pulling up the drawbridge on the brightest overseas students.

Rudd told the conference in a keynote speech that the government will be consulting shortly, on the next steps needed to control immigration, aiming at people who come to Britain to work or study, Xinhua news agency reported.

New immigration rules to control the number of students heading to study in Britain were announced by the minister on Tuesday.

She said Britain will look for the first time at whether student immigration rules should be tailored to the quality of the course and the quality of the educational institution.

She told delegates: "The current system allows all students, irrespective of their talents and the university's quality, favourable employment prospects when they stop studying."

Rudd said she was passionately committed to making sure Britain's world-leading institutions can attract the brightest and the best.

Rudd also said Britain will examine whether to toughen the test companies have to take before recruiting staff from abroad.

She said: "British businesses have driven the economic recovery in this country, with employment at record levels. The test should ensure people coming here are filling gaps in the labour market, not taking jobs British people could do."

Her measures were directed as a warning to those that oppose any steps to reduce net migration, saying the government will not waver in its commitment to put the interests of the British people first.

IANS