Students' visa worries over Coventry University 'glitch'

Three international students have said they are at risk of deportation after a technical glitch left them unable to submit a final university exam.

Fahim Aurakzai and twins Uzair and Umair Kanasro said they tried to electronically upload their work to Coventry University's systems before the deadline, but the procedure failed.

Advice groups have taken up the case amid fears of ensuing visa problems.

The university said it had found no evidence of problems on its system.

The 24-year-old twins and Mr Aurakzai, 25, are from Pakistan and in the UK on student visas, having started their course last September.

They took a four-hour online exam on 10 August.

All three are on a masters course in structural engineering, and also had a dissertation due on the same day.

Once that was submitted, they sat the exam at 18:00 BST and had until 22:00 BST to upload their papers to the university system.

But, they said, minutes before the deadline approached, they tried to submit the work and it did not go through.

The men said they had previously been told if there were any issues with the system, they could submit via email within 15 minutes of the deadline closing, which, they said, they did.

But the university, they added, told them their emailed results would not be accepted and they must go through a 12-week appeals process, and resit the exam.

Such a timeline has brought visa issues into play as they would not get their results until the end of January - weeks after they need them to apply for a graduate visa to remain in the country for another two years.

Umair Kanasro, who along with his brother said they wanted to use the graduate visa to get technical experience in their field before returning home, explained: "It is a nightmare for us. The last two months were very stressful for us, we cannot eat properly, we cannot sleep properly."

Mr Aurakzai, who like the brothers lives in Birmingham, said the university had accepted they completed the work before the deadline, but still had to resit.

Inam Raziq, an immigration adviser with Birmingham's Fast Track Global Consultants, who is supporting the three men, said: "All their colleagues are enjoying calling their parents and inviting them to graduation in November while they are sending emails saying 'please for heaven's sake look at our paper, look at our circumstances'.

"This is not [an] academic [appeal], this is a technical issue they need to look into."

Fizza Qureshi, chief executuive of Migrants' Rights Network, added: "The manner in which these students have been treated for a fault they are neither responsible for nor have control over is frankly shocking.

"Having spoken to the students many times they are rightly upset with the university's hard-line approach, and the significant consequences this has on their futures in the UK."

A Coventry University spokesperson said it was unable to comment on active cases, but added: "The overwhelming majority of our students uploaded their assessments on time, without issue.

"We have tried-and-tested, fair processes for dealing with missed deadlines and there is an academic appeals process which all of our students can access.

"These processes allow for and ensure compliance with UK visa rules.

"Our international students are made aware of our regulations and their obligations upon enrolment."

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