David Cameron has said he does not want foreign graduates doing “menial” jobs in Scotland as he defended his decision to overrule recommendations from the cross-party Smith Commission.
The Prime Minister said that that oversees students should not be allowed to remain in the country after their course has finished if they would take low-paid work from Scots.
Earlier this week Tory ministers torpedoed plans to allow skilled student migrants to stay in Scotland.
Mr Cameron told MPs that the UK's offer to international students was already "world beating".
But he said that they should be able to stay in the UK only if they have already secured a graduate-level job.
"We don't need the world's brightest and best to come here to study and then to do menial labour jobs,” he said, “that's not what our immigration system is for."
He had been pressed on the issue by the SNP’s Westminster leader Angus Robertson,who asked him why he rejected the plans, backed by, among others, the Scottish Conservative Party.
"Why does the PM think they are all wrong and he is right?" he asked.
Later Mr Robertson said that the Conservatives had shown a “total disregard” for Scotland by ruling out a return of post-study work visas.
Labour also hit out at Mr Cameron saying: “Using phrases like ‘menial’ shows his attitude to working people and that David Cameron is out of touch.”
No 10 defended the Prime Minister's choice of words saying: “His view is we don’t want a situation where people have come to this country from other countries, graduated, got a degree and taken up jobs which don't require graduate level qualifications, that was the point he was making."
Business for Scotland‘s Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp said: “The student visa overhaul has harmed Scotland’s universities and the economy.
"We attract over 40,000 students from across the world.
"These students are net contributors to the economy during their studies, but these students are sent home after completing their studies with no opportunity to continue their contribution to the Scottish economy.
“Scotland’s businesses, and her economy, need young talented individuals to remain and work here, paying taxes and contributing to developing the country’s economy.
“To encourage students to come and study here, then send them home again immediately after they complete their studies, is both short-sighted and anti-entrepreneurial.”
The Smith Commission into further devolution, prompted by the 2014 independence referendum, recommended the possibility of a scheme to allow international students to stay on in Scotland be examined.
On Monday Scottish Secretary David Mundell said that the UK Government had “no intention” of allowing Scotland to bring back the visas.
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