By Thanaporn (Niece) Prayoonrat
In recent years, Tier 4 student visa applications have become a barrier to international students’ journeys to LSE. The application process is expensive and complex, particularly for students from South Africa and Asia; this has meant many MSc Media, Communication, and Development (MCD) students have struggled to enrol this September.
Late enrolment in the MCD programme has primarily revolved around visa issues. Over the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has created further complications, with family and personal health concerns emerging as secondary causes.
“Most of the students awaiting visas and arriving late have been either from Pakistan or from the continent of Africa. One was refused a visa after a six-week wait with no explanation; another was told that she did not have enough money in the bank to cover the full fees – scholarships complicate this hugely,” said Professor Shakuntala Banaji, Programme Director for MSc Media, Communication and Development.
Late enrolment is steadily worsening as waiting times for visa appointments at British embassies and application centres increase., It can often take up to 12 weeks from the application date to receive a decision.
Alinaswe Lusengo, an LSE masters student, described her visa application experience: “It’s been such a long and tedious journey in getting my visa, especially as my first application was unfairly refused,” the process being “time consuming but also costly.” She missed the first few weeks of term, further stating that other African students have faced these issues.
The significance of these delays means that being unable to enrol, many students will drop out or defer their studies.
Those who do manage to arrive late may face difficulties in keeping up with their coursework and meeting deadlines. They may also struggle to bond with their cohorts and miss out on lectures and seminars.
While LSE issues the necessary letters for visa applications, it appears that few measures have been taken to support international students facing these specific difficulties.
There is growing sentiment that a more proactive approach is needed, including stronger advocacy on behalf of these students.
Professor Banaji suggests that it “would require an entire rethinking of the punitive UK immigration policy which sees immigrants and students as a burden to be suffered rather than as vital resources for society and the economy,” highlighting the role of historical racism. “At least a quicker turnaround, transparency and parity of treatment for white and non-white students should become the norm.”
An LSE spokesperson said: “LSE has specialist visa advisers within the Student Advice and Engagement Team, based in the Student Services Centre. If a student’s visa application is taking beyond the normal processing times, we advise them to contact our team, who can offer advice and contact the UKVI and request that the application be expedited where possible.”
“You can contact the team using our enquiry form on the following web page: How to get specialist visa advice at LSE.”
Image from Stock
