UCL International Students Receive Visas After Initial Deferral Requests
LONDON – International students initially told to defer their studies at University College London (UCL) due to visa allocation issues have been informed they will now receive visas and can begin their studies, the university confirmed. The reversal comes after discussions between UCL and the Home Office late last week.
UCL had previously over-recruited students, citing “an unusual surge in demand,” and initially requested affected students postpone enrollment until the following year. this sparked concern among students who had already pre-paid for travel and accommodation, potentially facing financial losses.
“We’re pleased to be able to assure our affected international students that they can now begin their studies at UCL,” a UCL spokesperson stated. ”We wholeheartedly apologise to all those who have been impacted by the recent uncertainty and we are incredibly grateful for their patience. Our teams are now working quickly to contact students directly with updates and support.”
The university also thanked the Home Office “for working swiftly to assist us in obtaining the additional confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) numbers we requested.”
Students began receiving emails from UCL within the last two days confirming their CAS documents would be issued, a crucial step in obtaining a student visa.
“I am overjoyed to be able to study in the UK,” one student told the Guardian. “We were told many different things as last month, it was very stressful. I was already committed to paying for accommodation in London, with no refund available, so I am very relieved.”
Approximately 200 students from China were affected, some of whom were already in the UK at the end of last month when the issue arose.Taught postgraduate students were initially informed they needed to be present by October 10th to retain their places.
In an email to affected students, UCL’s recruitment and admissions department expressed their apologies, stating, “We cannot thank you enough for your patience with this process and we are extremely sorry for the disruption and uncertainty which this will have caused you. We certainly know that it will have been both frustrating and unsettling, and we are grateful to you for your patience as we worked to resolve the situation.”
