Student fears having to quit UK over uni marking boycott

By Angie Brown & Joanne Macaulay

BBC Scotland, Edinburgh and East reporter

A Canadian exchange student who has no degree due to the exams marking boycott fears she may have to leave Scotland.

Emma MacKenzie, 22, has signed a lease on a flat and accepted a full-time job.

But with a deadline of 26 July looming the Edinburgh University English and Art History student cannot renew her visa.

She is one of thousands of students at 145 institutions across the UK who have been affected by the University and College Union’s (UCU) boycott.

The union claims the boycott, which began on 20 April, could affect more than half a million graduations this summer.

And it has vowed to continue its action until employers make an improved offer on pay and conditions.

Universities are taking independent decisions about how to minimise the impact, so the effect on students will vary.

Edinburgh University students told BBC Scotland they received empty scrolls with a letter of apology at their graduation on Tuesday.

A protest was also held in Bristo Square outside McEwan Hall, where a graduation ceremony took place.

A university spokeswoman said: “We are profoundly sorry that we have not been able to shield our students from the impact of this UK-wide dispute.”

Miss MacKenzie, who paid £4,700 tuition fees for the year as well as £1,000 on her visa, said she was beginning to fear that she would have to fly back to Toronto.

She told BBC Scotland: “I’m at the stage now that I’m having to accept I’m going to be forced to go back to Canada, it’s really upsetting.

“It is a devastating situation and these past few weeks have been a whirlwind of anxiety and feeling out of control.

“I feel failed by the university. I’ve done everything asked of me and I’ve rightfully earned and paid for my degree.”

Miss MacKenzie completed the first three years of her undergraduate degree at Toronto University.

But now that her exchange visa is running out she wants to secure a High Potential Individual (HPI) visa.

Anyone who graduates from one of the top 50 universities in the world can apply to remain in the UK for up to two years.

However, due to the near three-month long dispute between UCU and employers students have been unable to receive their full qualifications.

Miss MacKenzie said Toronto University cannot give her the undergraduate award she worked for, since she has been unable to receive her final grades from Edinburgh University.

She added Edinburgh had also been unwilling to provide her with projected grades, or even a “Pass/Fail” note – either of which would have allowed her to apply for the HPI visa and stay.

The student said: “I’ve been in touch with the university for weeks now trying to solve this.

“The last communication I had I was told the university has been given legal advice not to assist me and apologised for not being able to give me the information I was looking for.

“If nothing changes in the next few weeks I’m going to be forced to go back to Canada and it’s very up in the air.”

Miss MacKenzie said students had not been given any information that suggested when they could expect to receive their grade and is worried it could be months before she can apply for a visa.

She added: “Do I need to sublet the flat? Am I going to lose my flat altogether? My job? I don’t know what to tell them. It’s very, very disheartening.”

Izzi Brannen, 22, received an empty scroll for her degree in photography at Tuesday’s graduation in Edinburgh.

She told BBC Scotland: “I’m very angry. It was down to the university to settle this dispute but they didn’t so now I have an empty scroll.

“The fact that I don’t have a degree is going to affect my future. It’s very uncertain.

“I’ve paid £9,250 a year plus maintenance.

“It’s shameful. If you go to university and work hard, which I have, you should get a degree.”

Francesca Lehrell, 22, who completed a Psychology and Sociology degree, said: “I am just going to go have to go home and wait for my degree because I can’t really do anything else about it.

“I’m very angry and I have really tried to prioritise my degree by working hard for it. And I have done well but now that counts for absolutely nothing.

“It feels like what was it all for? Nothing.”

Another graduand, Mariangela Alejandro-Cortez, said: “It’s been a really uphill battle especially during Covid and now, after four years, I’ve just received an email telling me my degree award has been delayed indefinitely.

“I am unable to apply for a graduate visa at the moment because I don”t have a degree award and what that means is that I have to apply for an extension to my student visa but that’s an additional cost of £750 and that’s more than my monthly rent.”

“I’ve paid around £79,000 to come here and I’m severely in debt at the moment.

“It makes me really angry knowing that I have not only spent a lot of money but I’ve spent four years of my life working really hard to get this degree and I just don’t have one and I don’t know if I’ll ever get one.”

A University of Edinburgh spokeswoman said: “We recognise the significant impact this industrial action is having on our students’ lives and future plans.

“The impact of the boycott varies from student to student and we are supporting individuals on a case by case basis, including arranging individual meetings to advise on alternative visa options where there are delays in providing marks to a visiting student’s home institution.”

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