Foreign students demand home secretary ‘put things right’ after thousands targeted in cheating scandal

‘Many of us are destitute, barely able to live from day to day. Many of us are on medication for stress or depression.... Some of us have tried to kill ourselves’

Dozens of foreign students are calling on the home secretary to “put right” a Home Office decision to accuse them and thousands of others of cheating in English language tests with no right of appeal.

Almost 34,000 students were accused of cheating in an English language test in 2015, and with no proper right to challenge the decision, told their studies had been terminated and that they had no right to stay in the UK.

Some were detained in removal centres, lost their jobs, and were left homeless as a result, despite being in the UK legally. Others remained and tried desperately to clear their names, knowing that going home with such a slur hanging over them would have destroyed their reputations and barred them from jobs.

An investigation into the matter by the National Audit Office (NAO) in May found that the Home Office had failed to ensure innocent people were not wrongly deported in the operation, stating that some might have been “branded as cheats, lost their course fees, and been removed from the UK without being guilty of cheating”.

Sajid Javid said he was sympathetic to the issue and he pledged to make a statement once the NAO report was published. But it has now been more than a month since that report and he has said nothing.

More than 100 students affected have now signed a letter to Mr Javid stating that his department has “ruined [their] lives and stolen [their] futures”, and that it is “within [his] power to put this right”.

“It branded us as frauds, forcing us to bear a lifelong mark of shame, while never presenting any evidence at all against most of us,” states the letter.

“Many of us are destitute, barely able to live from day to day. Many of us are on medication for stress or depression. Many of us have been rejected by our families, who are shamed by the allegation of cheating. Some of us have tried to kill ourselves.

“Home secretary, you have said you are sympathetic. Twice in the last three months we have been promised a statement from you about the government’s next steps, but you have chosen to keep silent ... Please tell us what our futures will be.”

The NAO report revealed that 2,468 people had been forcibly removed from the UK due to the scandal and that the number was continuing to rise, while 4,157 people accused of cheating had been granted leave to remain – with hundreds more still fighting legal battles.

One of those affected is Asiya Gul Iram, who is now, along with her two daughters, facing being deported to her allegedly abusive husband in Pakistan as a result of the accusation, which she vehemently denies.

The 48-year-old told The Independent: “I was studying properly, I was going to the college regularly. I did the test myself. And on top of that, the label of cheater is really hurtful ... I was hoping to go into banking. But all of my dreams got shattered by this false accusation.

“It’s completely taken away my independence. I wanted to be a strong woman, to support my daughters and protect them from my family, to keep them here safe. And I was trusting the UK government that they would believe us, that they would give me a fair chance to prove myself. But they haven’t. And I’m losing my hope.”

Nazek Ramadan, director of Migrant Voice, a charity that is campaigning alongside the students for justice, said the way the Home Office had treated tens of thousands of students “made a mockery of the British justice system”.

She added: “These students live every day in growing despair. Stripped of their rights, many are destitute and suffering severe mental health problems. Many have contemplated or attempted suicide.

“We urge the home secretary: listen to the students, make the right decision, and do not delay your announcement any longer.”

A Home Office spokesperson said the home secretary was considering the findings of the NAO report and that he would will then make a statement to parliament.

“As the NAO have highlighted, the Tier 4 system was subject to widespread abuse in 2014 and almost all those involved in the cheating were linked to private colleges which the Home Office already had significant concerns about,” the spokesperson added.

“The report is clear on the scale and organised nature of the abuse, which is demonstrated by the fact that 25 people who facilitated this fraud have received criminal convictions.”