Sic transit gloria LMU

[nmg]

Following some irregularities, the UK Border Agency has revoked London Metropolitan University's visa license. Not only can the university no longer recruit overseas (non-EU) students (a major source of income for all UK universities, and one of the few things that stops them from going bankrupt), but their existing overseas students have been told

Comments

[elseware]

I've been invoved in the ensuring verifiable points of contact for overseas students. Frankly I think the requirements are entirely reasonable in return for the right to grant visas. UCU took a bullshit position on it and it's one of the many reasons I want no truck with them.

The obvious thing to do is independently verify existing visas including this year's intake but block them taking more international students without paying an external agency to verify the visa status as they are not competent.

Don't hurt the students but let the organisation take the hit, they've fucked up with plenty of warning.

It's really not an unreasonable position, universities can grant visas to overseas students but in return they must make sure the students are showing up reasonably often and can speak the language the course is delivered in. How hard is that?

* nb. this is a rant against procedures and admin not the academic standards of which I have no knowledge.

[jorune]

Sometimes one is forced to consider the possibility that affairs are being conducted in a manner which, all things being considered and making all possible allowances is, not to put too fine a point on it, perhaps not entirely straightforward.

Given the minister's determination to pursue this matter we can only point out to him that this is a brave and original policy choice.