Teesside University orders owing Nigerian students to leave school, country

Nigerian students at Teesside University in the United Kingdom have been told to quit the school due to unpaid fees.

According to the BBC, the UK university said the move was in line with the UK’s immigration regulations.

“Teesside University is proud to be a global institution with a diverse student population but is also very aware of its visa issuance and compliance obligations.

“These strict external regulations ensure that the university fully supports a robust immigration system and are outside of the university’s control,” BBC said, quoting a university spokesperson.

The university said it had “no choice” as failure to pay was a breach of visa sponsorship rules. It said all efforts had been made to help the affected students, including with bespoke payment plans.

Meanwhile, many students who protested outside the campus on Tuesday accused the university of being heartless and unfair.

Adenike Ibrahim told the BBC she was close to handing in her dissertation when she was kicked off her course because she could not make a payment.

Despite having now paid her fees in full, she still has to leave the UK with her young son and cannot re-enrol.

“I did default [on payments], but I’d already paid 90% of my tuition fees, and I went to all my classes,” she told the broadcaster. “I called them and asked to reach an agreement, but they do not care what happens to their students.”

Reacting to the development, the Home Office said only the sponsoring institution reserved the right to make the decision to offer or withdraw visa sponsorship.

It said that when a visa was shortened or canceled, individuals should “take steps to regularize their stay or make arrangements to leave the UK.”

In a letter, the Home Office told the students they had no right to appeal.

The Nigerian Government under President Bola Tinubu is yet to respond to the students’ ordeal in the UK.

This development comes amid Nigeria’s foreign exchange crisis and soaring inflation, which surged to 33.69% in April.