University officials in Huddersfield believe overseas students should not be counted in census checks.

They made their plea after a new study based on the census taken in 2011 gives what they believe are distorted statistics.

Official figures appear to show that Huddersfield is the UK’s favourite choice for immigrants from Libya.

But according to senior figures at the town’s university, the findings are deceptive and they back up a current argument that overseas students should NOT be included in immigration statistics.

According to an analysis of the 2011 census by the Office for National Statistics, Kirklees received 2,895 immigrants in the year leading up to the census. Of these, 293 were Libyan - the largest number of people from their country moving to any area of the UK.

But a big proportion of these Libyans in Kirklees were students who joined a bespoke university course in forensics, and they returned to their home country as soon as they completed their studies by 2012.

There were 103 Libyans on the course and the fact that they were entered into census returns during the closing stages of their course would have served to inflate the figures, despite the fact that – as Libyan government-sponsored students - their stay was temporary.

The forensics course that catered for Libyan police and fire service personnel is no longer running, although Libyans have continued to come to Huddersfield to take courses in other subject areas.

Andrew Mandebura, who is the University of Huddersfield’s Director of the International Development, believes the deceptive census findings - a “snapshot” of people in the Kirklees area in 2011 - helps to back up an argument being made by the organisation Universities UK that the government should remove international students from net migration targets.

Mr Mandebura said that students from Middle East countries in particular were usually sponsored by their governments or employers, in order to boost their knowledge and skills, and would almost invariably return home on the completion of their courses.

“It is also important to realise that overseas students are required to pay their course fees and living expenses, including accommodation and are financially well provided-for.

“During their stay in Huddersfield, they make a significant contribution to the district’s economy and the cultural life of the university”.

Universities UK - in its new report – has stressed the economic and educational benefits brought to Britain by international students.

Currently, there are approximately 3,000 overseas students at the University of Huddersfield and they come from 120 different countries.

The biggest influx to Kirklees in the 2011 census was 344 from Pakistan.

Across the UK as a whole 687,000 people moved from abroad in the year leading up to the Census - a rate of 11 for every 1,000 residents.

Although this may seem like a huge number it doesn’t take into account the number of people who left the country. Consequently, net migration will be a lot lower.

The most common origin country for people coming to the UK was India with 45,968 followed by America with 43,433 and then Poland with 40,293.