Bogus colleges barred in visa crackdown

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A total of 467 will lose their right to recruit from overseas because they have failed to meet quality standards set by the Home Office.

Officials declined to name the institutions, although a significant number are understood to be in London, where there have been long-standing concerns about language schools being used as a front for illegal migration.

Some have offered minimal, if any teaching, and instead have been used as a device to gain visas for overseas residents who might otherwise be refused permission to enter Britain.

The ban follows licensing regulations for universities and colleges introduced under the Government's "points-based" system for managing migration.

This requires each institution to pass checks on the quality of the education it provides and makes admitting foreign students an offence for any that fails.

More than 1,400 institutions, including London's UCL and Imperial College, have qualified but of the 2,100 that applied, nearly 500 failed the test.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said: "I have made it clear that I will not tolerate either the fraudulent applicants trying to abuse Britain's immigration rules, or the dodgy colleges that facilitate them. However Britain will always welcome legitimate students who are coming here to receive a first-rate education."

Under today's changes, each institution that has qualified to take international students will be responsible for ensuring that they attend their courses and return home after completing them. Any which fail to do so could face fines and lose their licence to admit foreign students.