If you are a London Met student and are in need of assistance, go to http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/contact/contactspage/lmu-help/
More information for LMU students can also be found here: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsfragments/72-LMU-student-page
There, you will find the proper contact information as you are deciding what steps to take next. The number they list is +44(0)2071334141. Good luck everyone!
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
London Metropolitan University: The State of International Education in the United Kingdom
News broke last week of London Metropolitan University (LMU) losing its international status, as the United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) declared that the school did not keep well enough track of its international students. As a result, the school can no longer host international students, and all international students who were enrolled at the school for this academic year may not attend LMU. The fallout from this decision has been severe, as many students who had planned on attending LMU this year now are unsure where they will be going to school in the fall. Will they be able to transfer to another school, or will they be forced to return home?
LMU vice-chancellor Malcolm Gillies denies any wrongdoing, and claims that because the UKBA changed its regulations regarding international students "at least 14 times in the last three years," the university was unaware of any violations. While the UKBA perhaps did make changes to its policies, this is still no excuse for LMU to not have been up to date with the agency's rules. If this were the case, then why did not other universities across the UK meet a similar fate? To me, this sounds like poor preparation and follow through on LMU's part, but it also sounds like poor communication from the UKBA, who through so many changes and a lack of notification made it unnecessarily complicated to report international students.
However, The Guardian reports that the UKBA has united with the Department of Business, Universities UK, HEFCE, and the National Union of Students in order to set up a taskforce that will seek to identify all legitimate students and subsequently work to place them in another institution. How they will determine the legitimacy of these students is unclear, and how they will place all 2,700 of these students at other universities is also unclear. In addition, these students were also given a 60 day deadline to find another school or go home.
While there certainly appears to have been some grievous errors made by LMU, I am curious as to why the UKBA chose to give such little warning to international students. Apparently, the UKBA and LMU worked for six months prior to their international students being revoked, and some warning should have been given to prospective and current students. I am curious as to what other international students make of this situation, those who are currently deciding whether to study in the UK or elsewhere. Will this make them nervous about studying in the UK, for fear that their university may be the next one to have its international status revoked? In my opinion, the UKBA should be forced to place all legitimate students in another university- whether or not this taskforce will accomplish that is yet to be determined.
I hope that for the sake of the UK and its wonderful reputation around the world as a beacon for higher education, this issue will not discourage students from attending UK universities. I personally believe that it won't, but it remains to be seen how this will affect international student enrollment.
LinkedIn- http://www.linkedin.com/pub/zack-wright/49/b26/265
LMU vice-chancellor Malcolm Gillies denies any wrongdoing, and claims that because the UKBA changed its regulations regarding international students "at least 14 times in the last three years," the university was unaware of any violations. While the UKBA perhaps did make changes to its policies, this is still no excuse for LMU to not have been up to date with the agency's rules. If this were the case, then why did not other universities across the UK meet a similar fate? To me, this sounds like poor preparation and follow through on LMU's part, but it also sounds like poor communication from the UKBA, who through so many changes and a lack of notification made it unnecessarily complicated to report international students.
However, The Guardian reports that the UKBA has united with the Department of Business, Universities UK, HEFCE, and the National Union of Students in order to set up a taskforce that will seek to identify all legitimate students and subsequently work to place them in another institution. How they will determine the legitimacy of these students is unclear, and how they will place all 2,700 of these students at other universities is also unclear. In addition, these students were also given a 60 day deadline to find another school or go home.
While there certainly appears to have been some grievous errors made by LMU, I am curious as to why the UKBA chose to give such little warning to international students. Apparently, the UKBA and LMU worked for six months prior to their international students being revoked, and some warning should have been given to prospective and current students. I am curious as to what other international students make of this situation, those who are currently deciding whether to study in the UK or elsewhere. Will this make them nervous about studying in the UK, for fear that their university may be the next one to have its international status revoked? In my opinion, the UKBA should be forced to place all legitimate students in another university- whether or not this taskforce will accomplish that is yet to be determined.
I hope that for the sake of the UK and its wonderful reputation around the world as a beacon for higher education, this issue will not discourage students from attending UK universities. I personally believe that it won't, but it remains to be seen how this will affect international student enrollment.
LinkedIn- http://www.linkedin.com/pub/zack-wright/49/b26/265
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