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ACADEMICS STRUGGLE TO GET VISAS FOR RELATIVES TO VISIT UK




BESTSELLING ALBANIAN AUTHOR LEA YPI AMONG THOSE PREVENTED FROM SEEING FAMILY
MEMBERS BECAUSE OF HOME OFFICE DECISIONS

December 20, 2022

Tom Williams
Twitter: @TWilliamsTHE
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Source: Getty

Difficulties in obtaining visas for family members to visit the UK are
increasingly likely to deter academics and students from settling in the
country, scholars have warned.

While a rise in postgraduates bringing dependants with them has been blamed for
recent record high immigration figures, those working or studying in British
universities said that they have been left separated from loved ones during
difficult times, exposing the reality of the UK’s “hostile environment”
immigration system.

Lea Ypi, professor of political theory at the London School of Economics, said
that her brother had been unable to visit from her native Albania for 14 years
after being rejected for a visa and then deciding against reapplying because, as
a young Albanian man, he knows he is almost certain to be denied entry.

She said an application for her mother to visit following the birth of her
second child was also rejected in 2016. On this occasion the application was
denied because she needed help with childcare, with a further request for a visa
that did not mention the grandchild granted in 2018.

“If you are seen as belonging to a category of needy immigrant who might need to
work, then there is no engagement with the context – it is just a blanket
rejection,” Professor Ypi said.

The bestselling author, who is now a British citizen, said that the “escalating
and worrying” discourse about Albania being pushed by some politicians, who have
blamed the country for the UK’s immigration issues, was making it especially
difficult.



“I think it is highly damaging for the UK higher education sector. It is a
constant struggle for universities to encourage people to come to the UK, given
how restrictive the immigration system is becoming,” she said.

“Britain is not unique in this, but it is very international and it tries to
compete globally for talent. The government rhetoric is all about wanting to
attract highly skilled immigrants but of course they are also people with
relationships and families – connections that go beyond the borders of Britain –
and so if you make the environment hostile for their family members, that will
also affect how they see Britain and whether they want to come.”

Amber Murrey, associate professor in human geography at the University of
Oxford, similarly had a visa rejected for her mother-in-law, Marcy, to visit
from Cameroon after she gave birth recently. In its reasons for the rejection
the Home Office said that Dr Murrey’s mother was widowed and therefore less
likely to return after her trip. This was not true because her husband of 25
years was still alive, but the decision could not be appealed.

“The premise already is she is a potential criminal; she will overstay her visa.
You have to actively disprove this bias and that is really difficult to do,” Dr
Murrey said.

Sanaz Raji, a visiting researcher at Northumbria University and founder of the
campaign group Unis Resist Border Controls (URBC), said visa rejections were a
“massive problem” for higher education.

The group is currently supporting University of Warwick postgraduate student
Riham Sheble, who has terminal cancer but whose mother has been unable to visit
from Egypt after being denied a visa because officials did not believe she could
support herself financially on the trip, despite her providing copies of bank
statements.

Given how international fees “prop up” UK higher education, universities may
soon take a financial hit as students grow tired of “being put in a situation of
consistent precarity”, Dr Raji said.

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com


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READER'S COMMENTS (2)

new
#1 Submitted by Stephen Cowley on December 20, 2022 - 7:54am
The article has a quote from a campaign group Unis Resist Border Controls
(URBC). Why not one from Migration Watch or the UK government, who are
implicitly being criticised?
 * reply

new
#2 Submitted by m.robertson8_291084 on December 20, 2022 - 11:58am
The UK system seems to have a difficulty understanding temporary visits, for
both short & medium lengths of stay. Even people who are here legitimately to
work are viewed as potential UK citizens whereas - particularly in academia -
many only want to stay for a short while (a few years, perhaps) then take
another job which might easily be in another country.
 * reply




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