HSMP Forum’s Press Release

Dt – 31st August 2012

The UK government’s decision to revoke the London Met University’s licence has cruelly butchered the hopes of international students studying there.  HSMP Forum believes that it is unfair to target the foreign students when the university and not the individual students should be held accountable.

The future of over 2000 students is in disarray and they have been given 60 days to leave the country or look for another university to complete their education. This only spells doom for them since many students may have completed a large portion of their course or are just about to start their academic year and other universities may not accept them in mid-term, leaving them with no option but to fight the injustice.

HSMP Forum severely condemns the actions of the government and believes that the feeble excuse given by the government in the name of “systemic failure” to justify the action does not offer any consolation. Applying a blanket rule and punishing students indiscriminately is totally unacceptable and a preposterous move on the part of the government. The government cannot simply revoke licenses of educational institutes’ midway destroying careers and aspirations of the overseas students who have already enrolled, paid their fees and planned their lives.

There has always been a concern regarding the entry of international students into the UK ever since the government announced their migration cap agenda. This incident will only affect the brand value of the UK as a destination for higher education and deter bright students from coming to the UK.

Mr Amit Kapadia, the executive director of the HSMP Forum said, “Such measures only show that the basic British values of fair play and justice are being threatened by mindless actions of the government and the sparkling reputation earned at the recent Olympics and on-going Paralympics is now being smeared by the unfair and the horrible injustice suffered by these students”.

References:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/london-metropolitan-universitys-future-at-stake-as-2500-students-face-deportation-8096884.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/aug/30/london-metropolitan-university-international-students?intcmp=239

 Notes for the editor

Website – www.hsmpforum.org / www.hsmpforumltd.com

HSMP Forum is a not-for-profit campaigning organisation and bears its origins to the UK's Highly Skilled Migrant Programme, which was introduced in 2002. It was formed after the 2006 decision by Government to apply new qualifying criteria for existing Highly Skilled Migrants. HSMP Forum has been lobbying the legislature, executive and the judiciary by challenging unfair policies to non-European union migrants. The aim of the organisation is to support and assist migrants under the world-renowned British principles of fair play, equality and justice and believes in challenging any unfair policies which undermine the migrants’ interests.