Pregnant Foreign Students

[Jibby123]

I started this discussion in another thread. Since it was getting heated I decided to move it here. The synopsis is "Can anyone tell me why foreign students who get pregnant are being treated like criminals within the immigration.

The immigration system allows for the withdrawal of visa from any student who misses 10 classes after having a baby. This is scandalous.

Are foreign mothers inferior to other mothers or does pregnancy affect them in a different way?

Some argue that a visa is given for studies and not to have babies but we know that pregnancies do not necessarily as planned especially when students are allowed to bring their spouses along with them as dependants.

Just because you are a foreign student is not a ban on sex.

This situation puts a lot of pressure on pregnant foreign students and is causing them to go through harrowing experiences while pregnant as they worry about their visa status and are forced to attend studies even when they are not fit to. The pregnancy alone is hard enough.

Pregnancy is not a disease, not a crime and certainly not an immigration offence.

WE need to raise this issue to the government so that they can treat pregnant foreign students in a more humane manner."

Here is a link to the original thread and the points that were made.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pregnancy/1413246-Pregnant-Foreign-Students?pg=1

What I'm saying is that if I had been kicked out, that would have been a consequence of me choosing to have had a baby while in college. It would have been due to my choices. I paid a lot of money for my degree, I find that makes them far more accomodating in the main!

I'm not arguing that universities shouldn't make accomodations, not at all, its best all round if they do. All I'm saying is that its not really on to complain about it being unfair and discriminatory and that everyone should automatically work it all out for you. Its your choice to try and combine a baby and studying, not anyone elses, and its naive not to expect that to be difficult. You signed up to do one thing, and if you then make another choice, own it.

oh, and the baby was 3 days old and didn't wake up once during the lecture, if he had I would have left immediately, as agreed with the lecturer, so no need to get your knickers in a twist about the non-existent bother to other students.

If the baby was asleep I don't see the problem. The university isn't going out of its way to accommodate her as it didn't have to change anything in order to suit her.

But I didn't 'sign up' to do anything, peppy. You keep making this about individual students, saying it's their problem. But why not discuss whether or not the system is fair.

IMO it is absurd to expect women to postpone having babies for a period that could be as long as four or seven or more years, simply because we're not used to the idea. We all accept that someone who works, gets maternity leave. Why is studying so very different? These students are still contributing hugely to the economy.

I should also say that I was lucky to switch from a student visa to an EU family member visa halfway through my postgrad. So instead of that nightmare deportation scenario, when I got pregnant with DS I was able to take a year's maternity leave with no question.

I am still the same person, the same foreigner. Still a student. But because of arbitrary immigration rules, two completely different scenarios. I just don't think it's fair.

dreaming - yes, that exactly it - the current way it's done is so arbitrary.

The same is true for home students - one university will accept a student taking a baby into lectures, another will kick her out of campus accommodation when they find she's pregnant. It shouldn't be a lottery.

Perhaps it should depend on the course. A PGCE is impossible to adapt, because you have to complete a certain number of weeks in school, so you couldn't take time out and catch up. You would have to repeat. It makes no difference whether you are a foreign student or not.

With a course where the student mainly studies independently, perhaps they could take a bit of time and still catch up.

Yes, and a PGCE is only one year, so in practical terms it's that much easier to work it out - whereas with a three of four year degree it seems that much more unreasonable to say put your life on hold.

(Sorry, when I say 'only' a year, I am aware a PGCE is a heck of a stressful course and not trying to belittle it!)

But every student is an individual who makes their own choices. And they do all sign up to their courses knowing the rules.

Its absurd to expect women to try and plan their babies for a suitable time? Whatever about postgrad, thats a different ballgame in general, but its absurd to say that having a baby as a full time undergrad is not the best time? Well colour me absurd then!

I'm just guessing, but I'd say its not a huge problem. For the majority of foreign students paying large amounts of money, and the hassle of moving and visas and whatever, I'm guess most of them would agree with me that its not the best time. And for those that are in that position, I' d say that most programmes make allowances, as mentioned upthread. How many pregnant foreign students on visas do you reckon ahve been deported? Really?

I don't disagree that it should be more uniform, transparent, etc.

Good!

I was thinking this back on the other thread -the difference between universities is stunning, and a student can't know until they get there (or not easily).

But stranded , what OP is saying that this flexibility is not available to foreign women students. Why not?

flat - but it is available to some foreign women students. The OP has ignored this point, but it's been made before. Some universities are actually perfectly capable of making allowances for foreign students. Others won't.

I mean the bit about taking extended time off

But it shouldn't be up the university. It is absurd that the ruling is Teheran in then first place.

Theran ? Mean is there. iPad correction

I do think good universities get under-appreciated here - really good ones can and do take care of their students. They are not all xenophobic pen-pushers looking to make a quick buck out of exploiting foreign students.

flat - I'm not sure I disagree, but I reckon some ruling has to be there, surely? If it's not made up to the universities, would it not be open to so much more abuse? Because some courses will be able to stand much more disruption than others, and a student isn't always best placed to know what she can sensibly manage. Sometimes, students do need to be told they are trying to do something that isn't achievable.

But the idea of rules is to protect the worse offenders. Good companies always provided maternity leave and allowances to their women workers. The rules are in place to stop the worst offenders who see women workers as disposable.

Same, the rules in place should be there to protect overseas women students, no matter which university they attend.

I just don't get how this ruling is of benefit to anyone.

its not in the interests of the universities to get rid of large fee paying foreign students, since they subsidise others. I'd like to know how many are being deported and where op is getting her info from before hysterically ranting about it