Immigration Solicitors

Students fighting against their university’s decision to remove them from their courses have lost their battle in the High Court in London.

A total of 33 students had been removed from courses at Glyndwr University in Wrexham because they had not been completing their coursework. All the students are international students. They first took out an injunction from the High Court to try to keep their immigration visa sponsorship as the tuition fees for the courses had all been paid. However, a senior judge rejected their challenge and told them that they each have to pay £500 towards legal costs incurred during the process.

All of the international students involved were studying accountancy and most came from Asia. They were part of a larger group of 56 who did not have adequate attendance recorded or had not completed enough modules, consequently receiving letters from the university announcing its intention to take action. The judge following his ruling cancelled the injunction against the university.

The cancellation of the injunction means that the Home Office is now free to review the students’ status and they may not be permitted to stay in the UK. However, the other 23 students will have their cases reviewed by officials at the university and their outcome may be different.

The hearing took place over two days in London and it was revealed that they had originally planned to study in London with the London School of Business and Finance, a course already linked with Glyndwr University, Wrexham. The students were all informed that their course would be moving to Wales at the beginning of this year. Their barrister told the court that the students had not been given enough time to respond to the letters that told them they had not met the course requirements. The students felt that they had been treated unfairly by the university and were seeking damages as a result.

The university has stated that to continue with their sponsorship and to remain on the course a minimum of 80% of lessons would need to have been attended and they would need to complete three modules each term. They were unable to prove their attendance, with their lawyer stating that many of the students had been ill and this is why the attendance had been lower than acceptable.

The University’s pro vice chancellor has stated that the university takes its commitment to foreign students very seriously and is officially recognised by the Home Office as a trusted sponsor so needs to abide by the official regulations. The university has since agreed to give some students the chance to state their case and any mitigating circumstances in a further review.

Duncan Lewis Immigration Lawyers

Duncan Lewis is a law firm with experienced immigration solicitors as part of its team and can advise on all aspects of immigration law and issues, including issues over international student visas and the regulations that surround them.

For expert legal advice on immigration law, Duncan Lewis can be contacted on 020 7923 4020.