Glasgow Caledonian University Tier 4 Sponsors licence temporarily suspended

[joebloggs]

Glasgow Caledonian University has had its Tier 4 Sponsors licence to recruit non-EU students temporarily suspended by the UK Border Agency (UKBA), the BBC reports.

The unprecedented action against a public institution came after an agency inspection indicated 150 Filipino nursing students had been working almost full-time.

The university said it was co-operating with authorities to resolve the issue, however, unions have called for an immediate inquiry into the running of the university.

The foreign students have been taking a BSC Nursing (Professional Development) course, which is understood to involve a large proportion of work-based learning.

Under immigration rules, students are normally allowed to work while they are studying, but only for a maximum of 20 hours a week, although some courses require additional hours of monitored work based learning.

But following an inspection last week, the agency expressed concern that students were working much longer hours.

It is understood students were found to be working full-time in care homes and had only been attending formal studies for one or two days a month instead of the required minimum of 15 hours a week.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-13155936
http://www.immigrationmatters.co.uk/...suspended.html

[Dedworth]

Very sloppy if the Uni has been allowing this to happen. I wouldn't expect any overpaid Vice Chancellors to lose their jobs over it though.

[joebloggs]

well if you employ someone who doesn't have the right to work, the employer can be fined £10k for each person.

why not do the same with the colleges and uni's, they should have reported to UKBA that these 150 students were not attending 15hrs a week in class, £10k fine * 150 = £1.5m in fines i'm sure that will not happen again

how can a uni who know the rules let this happen

[Dedworth]

the employer can be fined £10k for each person.

You said it here Joe "can be fined"- plenty of UKBA publicity about raids on operations employing illegals but I've yet to see any reports on penalties levied on those business's. I can feel another email to Theresa May or a FOI Request coming on

[Doc Alan]

I sympathise with the nursing students. They may well have been genuine, and wanted to obtain a degree which will be a requirement for registration as a nurse with the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council from 2013. Of course they should have known that it's illegal to work - as opposed to studying - more than 20 hours a week. But surely it was the University's responsibility - and enlightened self-interest - to monitor their activity and warn them of the consequences of flaunting immigration rules.

[Arthur Little]

I sympathise with the nursing students. They may well have been genuine, and wanted to obtain a degree which is a requirement for registration as a nurse with the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council. Of course they should have known that it's illegal to work - as opposed to studying - more than 20 hours a week. But surely it was the University's responsibility - and enlightened self-interest - to monitor their activity and warn them of the consequences of flaunting immigration rules.

... it must be tough-going - not to mention highly expensive - for Nursing [and/or Medical] Students from non-European, overseas nations having to scrape together the wherewithal for tuition fees and start from scratch again after passing Board Examinations ... and already practising their professions in their own countries. And, like you, Alan ... I believe the buck rests with the Universities and Colleges to enlighten their "charges" as to the legal implications of students working more than the prescribed weekly maximum number of hours.

[grahamw48]

So many flouted rules in this pathetic country of ours. ...ok, plus Scotland, to be pedantic.

The MPs themselves having set a fine example of course.

It just serves to show that as usual greed will prevail while the universities are funded the way they are.

The students are here to get what they can from our system, the same as most people from overseas.

Perfectly understandable, but the rules are there to stop us being overrun, especially when there are several million citizens of this country out of work, and a lot of our own children needing higher education too.

Coincidentally, my sister lectured at Aberdeen Uni' for about 10 years on the nursing degree courses.

[joebloggs]

I sympathise with the nursing students. They may well have been genuine, and wanted to obtain a degree which will be a requirement for registration as a nurse with the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council from 2013. Of course they should have known that it's illegal to work - as opposed to studying - more than 20 hours a week. But surely it was the University's responsibility - and enlightened self-interest - to monitor their activity and warn them of the consequences of flaunting immigration rules.

i think every 'student' knows they can not work more than 20hrs a week term time, of course many are here for the work and to get their foot in the door than study, if not how many of the went to the uni and complained about a few hours a month in class studying , when they know they should be at least 15hrs a week in class?

and how can the uni get away with this? a few hours a month instead of 15hrs a week where were the tutors ? a 150 students, what were the tutors doing 1 to 1 studying instead of a class of students

[scott&ligaya]

i think you need to stop all the agencies in the Phils advertising amazing salaries and jobs that do not exist, then loaning the patsys loads of dosh to get there and the girls then have to work all hours just to pay the crooked agencies. These agencies are playing on these girls desire for a better life then fleecing them stupid

[grahamw48]

I agree.

They must ruin so many lives.