Betrayed, disheartened, disgusted and petrified. This is how most of over 2,000 non-EU undergraduate students at the London Metropolitan University feel about the UK Border Agency's order a few days ago to revoke the university's license to teach non-EU students. It means that the students, including hundreds of Indians, will have to find alternate institutions to sponsor them, or face deportation within the next 60 days. We understand that the UKBA and the Metropolitan University have policy disagreements on foreign students but should the students be punished for the failure of the authorities to implement guidelines. No one questions the authorities' rights to stop illegal immigrants, some disguised as students, from entering the country but that should not mean endangering the future of legitimate students who have spent huge amount of money to study at the university. Some of them may be in their final year of study. Generally, the annual tuition fee costs around 10,000 to 15,000 pounds. That's not a pittance, especially if we include airfare as well as board and lodging while staying in the United Kingdom. Obviously, it is not easy, if not impossible, for these students to transfer to other universities in mid-term and considering the high tuition in other institutions of learning. UKBA was reported to have made up its decision based on a random sampling of around 100 to 250 students. Such sampling may be effective for the stock market or horse racing, but it has great repercussions on human beings. We urge UKBA and British education authorities to look into this issue and allow genuine students to continue their studies at the Metropolitan University. Let them prove that they are legitimate students by presenting records of their school attendance and other related information. The legitimate students should be given regular visas for the length of their studies. The UKBA decision is a wake-up call for British universities to be strict on implementing the guidelines but without endangering the future of their students who are already enrolled.
