MPs call for student visas action Up to 50,000 migrants may have used loopholes in the student visa system to come to the UK for work in its first year, the public spending watchdog has claimed. According to the National Audit Office, the points-based system was set up without key controls, potentially leading to tens of thousands of migrants arriving without any checks as to whether they were actually attending a college. MPs called for the UK Border Agency (UKBA) to "get a grip and fix the way it deals with student visas" after saying the report exposed one of the most shocking examples of poor management leading to abuse. The report went on to add that the under-fire UKBA also does little to ensure that foreign students leave the UK when requests to extend their stay are refused. Margaret Hodge, chairwoman of the Commons Committee of Public Accounts, said: "It is completely unacceptable that the programme was launched without key controls being in place. The agency has done little to stop students overstaying their visas. And it is extremely worrying that the agency does not know how many people with expired student visas are still in the country.