An official report into proposed changes to the UK student visa regime has praised the English UK Partner Agency Scheme, and recommended that it should be widely publicised among language centres which sponsor visa students.

English UK, which represents 450 accredited language centres, today welcomed a report warning the Government against making changes which could damage Britain's international education sector.

A "lively debate" is going on within Government with "robust arguments" on what decisions should be made on the future of student visas, said senior LibDem MP Simon Hughes at the launch of a new report on the subject. The report, called Pathway to prosperity: making student immigration work for universities and the economy, was produced by the Liberal think-tank CentreForum.

Winchester & Chandler's Ford MP Steve Brine has again raised the issue of student visas in the House of Commons. A Government consultation on the visa system ended last month and Ministers are expected to announce their recommendations to Parliament in the coming weeks.

The English UK website has just had its busiest-ever week, with more than 11,000 visits to its pages. Traffic jumped by 17 per cent in one week alone, with particular jumps recorded in page views from China, Indonesia, Egypt and Pakistan.