ANGRY officials at a Huddersfield college today hit back at a “ban” on foreign students.

Staff at Huddersfield New College were confused by the Home Office ruling, which included them in a list of 450 colleges banned from bringing in foreign students.

The college, in New Hey Road, insisted it had decided not to renew a licence it held previously which would have entitled it to offer places to students outside the EU.

The college insist it obtained the licence for a one-off application, which was never used, and decided not to renew it when it expired.

Julie France, assistant principal, said: “We presumed that if we chose not to renew it, that was the end of the matter. It seems they interpreted that non-renewal as a failure”.

Now college chiefs are contacting immigration officials at the Home Office to clear the college’s name.

Mrs France said: “Huddersfield New College held a licence to recruit and sponsor students living overseas to come to the UK to study in Huddersfield.

“We applied for this licence when a prospective student then living in Pakistan wished to join his family and study in the UK, three years ago.