London Metropolitan University loses visa licence

Overseas students attending courses at London Metropolitan University are facing deportation after the European Union revoked the establishment’s right to sponsor students from outside the EU. According to the UK Border Agency, the university has failed to deal with systematic failings it was ordered to address six months ago.

A task force has been established to deal with the 2,000 students who will be affected by the decision. The university has been told that it will not be allowed to issue any new visas or accept any new applications from overseas students looking to study in the UK.

The National Union of Students has said that unless undergraduates can find another British sponsor within 60 days, they face being sent home. Metropolitan University said in a statement that its first priority was its students and that it will be working closely with the NUS, the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the UKBA to come to a solution.

This is the first time a British university has ever been stripped of its Highly Trusted Status, although there have been suspensions in the past. The NUS has been in contact with the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary to express its outrage at how the situation has been handled.

Liam Burns, president of the NUS, said the government’s decision was likely to cause panic amongst foreign students, not just attending London Met, but across the UK.