Natalie Sedacca

This is absolutely wild: a Nepali student who flew to the UK to take up a university scholarship with a valid visa and proof of his uni place was detained at the border and held in custody for 12 days, leading to him losing his place.

Adding insult to injury, while a spelling mistake in his bank letter was part of the reason for disbelieving him, the Border Force's letter to him made several spelling mistakes https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/nov/26/treated-like-a-criminal-nepali-student-wrongly-detained-at-uk-border-loses-uni-place

‘Treated like a criminal’: Nepali student wrongly detained at UK border loses uni place

Sulav Khadka was interrogated and held in custody despite providing proof of his place and finances

The Guardian
Nov 27, 2022 at 10:41amWeb
Show threadNatalie SedaccaDec 8, 2022
This from Frances Webber at the Institute of Race Relations is good at explaining the broader context of attacks on international students, inc the 'test cheats' scandal which led many to be wrongly accused of cheating and forced to leave the UK, and the recent rhetoric against those bringing family members or studying so-called 'low-quality' degrees https://irr.org.uk/article/international-students-pawns-in-the-migration-game/?ml_subscriber=2100956967773148549&ml_subscriber_hash=h8n6&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=international_students_pawns_in_the_migration_game&utm_term=2022-12-08
International students: pawns in the migration game - Institute of Race Relations

While plans to restrict the entry of international students appear to be a gesture to appease the Right, their treatment as a rightless cohort has a longer history.

Institute of Race Relations
Show threadFlissNov 27, 2022
@nataliesedacca At the end of the day that young man is in additional debt because of the UK's 'hostile environment' policies when he should be studying. Will he be reimbursed for his expenses?
Show threadGaryNov 27, 2022
@nataliesedacca awful treatment by hm.gov, but also incredible that York admissions didn’t cut him some slack given his situation.
Show threadNatalie SedaccaNov 27, 2022
@WiteWulf Yes, I see their point about it not being in a student's interest to start late, but surely the current situation is much worse
Show threaddeclangNov 27, 2022
@nataliesedacca @WiteWulf I think the university's point is they did not want to get involved in his detention. They could have been and I would say should have been advocating for his immediate release, liaising with his nearest embassy. They seem almost complicit in this ridiculous drive to criminalise visa applicants. If this happened to a British person abroad, embassy staff would have intervened. Are the UK Border force untouchable?
Show threadKIAKAHANov 27, 2022
@declang @nataliesedacca @WiteWulf no, but they think they are, see Patel & Braverman
Show threadKatmaNov 27, 2022
@declang @nataliesedacca @WiteWulf The US border patrol basically is, so maybe your border force had a model. I’m sorry you guys are in this awful club
Show threadMarkRNov 27, 2022
@nataliesedacca The University should be shamed into accepting him, and compensation should be paid by the Home Office.
Show threadChris GallagherNov 27, 2022

@nataliesedacca

This is such a sad story. Border Force are the shame of Britain and to do this to international students, far from keeping the country safe, is more likely to harm not only our reputation & standing in the world, but increase actions against it and British citizens, at home and abroad. Quite disgraceful. I can't help feeling that this York University could have tried a hit harder for him too. Shocking.

Show threadDoryNov 27, 2022
@nataliesedacca Hopefully the UK University should really reconsider given the situation.
Show threadArneBabNov 27, 2022

@nataliesedacca «starting the course late was “not in a student’s interests”» ← this is the kind of argument that must never be used.

The immigration treatment is out of control of the university, but the actions of the university are what massively increased the impact of wrongdoing by border-agents.

“university said it could not change its decision” ← no one is willing to take a stand and fight for what’s right.

This should lead to huge protests on campus.

Show threadbirdNov 27, 2022
@ArneBab As if no-one ever missed two weeks study in a year and did fine regardless.
Show threadAngharadHafodNov 27, 2022
@nataliesedacca part of the problem is that border control officials are not held accountable for their actions. That's pretty unique in the world of officialdom, and it's surely time for that to end.
Show threadhiding from plagues ☣️♿Nov 27, 2022
@nataliesedacca 12 days wtf
Show threadNelly JaneNov 27, 2022
@nataliesedacca I certainly hope he’s got an advocate to help him thru this racists injustice
Show threadNelly JaneNov 29, 2022
@nataliesedacca I thought Aust had poor racial issues but more I see of UK more I see race is huge issue in UK . I think Brexit was about fomo .
Show threadThe mechanical mountain goatNov 27, 2022

@nataliesedacca

Unbelievable. Yet unsurprising.

Show threadAaronNov 27, 2022
@nataliesedacca in all the countries I've traveled to, I definitely felt like UK immigration was by far the most racist toward me, as a South Asian, too. I got threatened with deportation upon arrival in 2016, and I'm an American citizen who was only visiting for 2 weeks. The immigration officee was clearly just a racist little s*** who'd convinced himself I wanted to sneak in to work there forever, but fortunately it seemed his supervisor had some sense.
Show threadharriekdNov 27, 2022
@nataliesedacca That’s horrendous. That poor guy. How on earth a uni decided it couldn’t be flexible on start date by a few days while the guy was bring held is a mystery.
Show threadclarebeeNov 27, 2022
@nataliesedacca What an awful mix of incompetence and cruelty. Sums up the overall trend of these past 12 years.
Show threadcfrankpittNov 27, 2022
@nataliesedacca I read this story this morning and was utterly horrified by it. And what makes it even worse is that there are undoubtedly other very similar cases that haven’t made it into the media. But like others say, what I can’t understand is why the university couldn’t flex their admissions rules and let him start late. Even if they have to put him onto a different course where there’s more space.
Show threadMarkNWNov 28, 2022
@cfrankpitt @nataliesedacca The article quotes a uni spokeswoman ' it had been required to report all non-enrolments to the government on 17 October. “On this date, Sulav was still in detention in a holding facility and we understood that he was being returned to Nepal,” she said '
Show threadSueNov 27, 2022
@nataliesedacca
I hate what this hard right faction of the Tory Party are doing. Limitless racism and corruption.
Show threadDavid W. BlackstoneNov 27, 2022
@nataliesedacca the banality of evil in a nutshell. Create a system that requires cruelty, and then claim that the system is responsible for the cruelty.
Show threadLokpalNov 27, 2022
@nataliesedacca OMG
Show threadIndyHermitNov 27, 2022
@nataliesedacca In the US tactics liked this are used by border enforcement to implement off-the-books harassment policies. Here’s an article from 2016 that describes how 22 cases of “fraudulent bank documents” led to 600 students being denied entry: https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/sanfrancisco/news/some-international-students-denied-access-to-u-s-over-worries-of-potential-visa-mill-schools/#app
Foreign Students Denied Entry To U.S. Over Worries Of Potential 'Visa Mill' Schools

Among foreigners it's no secret - a student visa can be a ticket to a job in the U.S. The recent terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino have prompted Homeland Security to crack down on potential immigration cheaters.

CBS San Francisco
Show threadPadraigOMorainNov 27, 2022
@nataliesedacca and to make matters worse York St John university refused to let him join the course for being a day late. Such callous disregard is hard to understand.
Show threadpanisuzeNov 27, 2022
@nataliesedacca Thank you for sharing this. Hopefully, common sense will prevail and the university will reissue the scholarship offer.
Show threadGordon ScrutonNov 28, 2022
@nataliesedacca Every Brit reading this should feel shame... I certainly do. Thank you to the Observer for trying to hold these institutions to account.
Show threadPeterNov 28, 2022
@nataliesedacca Outrageous behaviour