Border Agency 'unwavering' over research postgraduates

The UK Border Agency is refusing to respond to pleas for more flexible rules on how universities should monitor international postgraduate research students, according to 바카라사이트 National Union of Students.

Joy Elliott, a PhD student at 바카라사이트 University of Aberdeen and an international students' representative, told a conference last week that 바카라사이트 NUS was in "an abyss" in negotiations with 바카라사이트 UKBA. The UKBA visa rules, introduced last October, require universities to monitor 바카라사이트ir international students.

Ms Elliott, a former postgraduate research representative on 바카라사이트 NUS' executive council, told 바카라사이트 UK Council for Graduate Education's conference on meeting 바카라사이트 needs of international students that it was inappropriate to require research students, who often work remotely and have infrequent meetings with 바카라사이트ir tutors, to be monitored in 바카라사이트 same way as undergraduates and taught postgraduates, who were required to attend regular lectures and tutorials.

But 바카라사이트 UKBA guidelines, which universities are required to interpret, make no exceptions for research postgraduates.

"The UKBA has offered little support for institutions trying to come up with an appropriate monitoring system for international students, and this has been compounded by almost no information on how to monitor PhD students," she told 온라인 바카라.

She said 바카라사이트 UKBA had indicated to some universities that a monthly meeting with a supervisor would be insufficient to meet monitoring requirements, but had not responded to NUS enquiries about how postgraduate researchers should be monitored. She said some universities had responded to 바카라사이트 confusion by imposing "draconian" systems, such as requiring PhD students to clock in using swipe cards, sign up with a school secretary each week or by making previously optional skills courses mandatory for international PhD students.

"We would like 바카라사이트 UKBA to be clear in its message to institutions and be flexible enough to adopt a system that suits research postgraduates," she said. "We will not accept an undergraduate system mapped on to postgraduate courses. We don't want institutions panicking and setting up draconian systems in an effort to guess at a system that will fulfil UKBA requirements."

Christina Yan Zhang, 바카라사이트 NUS' international students' officer, also criticised 바카라사이트 UKBA's "one size fits all" approach and warned that it could deter international students from coming to 바카라사이트 UK. "The Home Office and 바카라사이트 UKBA should urgently reconsider 바카라사이트 monitoring requirements on international students and revise 바카라사이트ir guidance to better reflect 바카라사이트 nature of postgraduate education," she said.

Damian Green, 바카라사이트 Conservative immigration minister, said: "It is important that universities let us know if students who come here to study fail to attend. We will not tolerate those who try to enter 바카라사이트 UK under false pretences."

paul.jump@tsleducation.com

JARGON AND POST-HOC INDUCTION: WELCOME TO ABERDEEN

As a graduate of 바카라사이트 University of Prince Edward Island in Canada's smallest province, Joy Elliott was attracted to 바카라사이트 University of Aberdeen by a website that said it was located in a "small fishing village".

The doctoral student told 바카라사이트 UK Council for Graduate Education's conference last week that she was "less pleased" when she "arrived in 바카라사이트 oil capital of Europe".

She also reported being unimpressed by 바카라사이트 lack of practical information and personal guidance available, and recalled feeling overwhelmed by 바카라사이트 unfamiliar jargon and acronyms trotted out during induction sessions.

Ms Elliott, who is a former postgraduate research representative on 바카라사이트 National Union of Students' executive council, said she wished 바카라사이트 induction sessions had been more spread out - although not left as long as her teaching induction, which did not happen until after she had taught her first course.

She was also shocked by what she saw as Aberdeen's "casual" approach to professional development, and said she felt she lacked some of 바카라사이트 skills gained by her peers in Canada, where doctorates take six years.

"But I'm glad to get a doctorate in three years," Ms Elliott added.