A UK government move to restrict student immigration would cause “significant” financial damage to the university sector, the head of the Russell Group of leading research institutions has warned.

Dr Tim Bradshaw, who represents 24 top universities including Oxford and Cambridge, issued the warning as ministers consider ending the UK’s graduate work visa programme owing to concerns it is being misused as a backdoor entry route.

“Any further changes to restrict student immigration could result in a significant destabilisation of the sector, [and] result in less spending in local communities, fewer opportunities for domestic students and less UK research,” he wrote in a letter to Professor Brian Bell, chair of the Migration Advisory Committee, which advises the government on migration.