Thousands face expulsion as UK university loses visa status

The future of over 3,000 international students is at the stake after the UK Border Agency (UKBA) has revoked the license of London Metropolitan University (LMU) to sponsor students from outside the European Union. Foreign students, mostly from Pakistan and India, are no longer allowed to continue their studies at the university after the UKBA removed it from the register of licensed sponsors. The affected students could now face deportation within 60 days unless they get enrolled at another educational institute recognized by the British government.
The university’s Highly Trusted Status for sponsoring international students was revoked after a probe by the UKBA, which found that a large number students sampled at the LMU did not have permission to stay in the country, while a “significant proportion” did not have a good standard of English, and that in more than half of cases, there was no proof they were turning up for classes. The LMU was given accreditation by the government in 1992, with its campuses in the city of London. The university has a large number of students from Asian countries. The Minister for Universities David Willetts has set up a task force to help “genuine students who are affected through no fault of their own” with advice and help, including finding other institutions where they could complete their studies. The decision to remove the university’s highly trusted status was condemned as “disgusting” by the National Union of Students, which accused the government of using international students as “a political football” and suggested it could “endanger the continuation of higher education as a successful export industry”. Keith Vaz, chairman of the Parliament Home Affairs Select Committee, said the move could harm Britain’s reputation in the world as a prime destination for higher education. He said the move had left thousands of students in limbo at the “worst possible time” at the start of the academic year.
But Immigration Minister Damian Green defended the “sensible measures” to enforce rules that were designed to prevent foreigners abusing study visas by simply using them so they could come to Britain for work. He said the move would not be replicated at other institutions, and that in other cases where the UKBA had warned of failings, action had quickly been taken to resolve them.