Illegal migrants

[Vinculin]

I am a lecturer. I have found out today I must report students of mine who are illegally in the UK (enemy aliens for want of a better word). How do fellow academics, doctors, nurses, social workers (who I believe are all in the same boat, being supposed to report) deal with this? Do I truly have to breach trust?

Don’t do it, don’t do this god awful governments dirty work for it.

Of course you must report.

But I'm not sure how you would know that - surely they cant just appear from nowhere and plonk themselves in one of your lectures? Wouldn't the uni/college have done all the identity checking first. I remember we/our DC's had to fill in all kinds of forms when enrolling our 3 DC's on their various College/Uni courses.

Surely your role is to teach, the paperwork and eligibility criteria is handled by the registry. The lecturers wouldn't actually enrol and verify the students onto courses. That is done by the registry department, the the time the students get to the lecture theatres they're already rubber stamped.

I am expected to escort a student not eligible to reside in the UK off the premises and inform the authorities of their presence.
Is it a hypothetical question? It is very unlikely that an illegal immigrant would be accepted on a university course in the first place. And I don't think there is any legal duty on lecturers to report - you are not responsible for the admissions management and are pretty much in the same position as any other private individual.

I resent exactly that. A student outstayed their visa, or never had one. Paid their fees, and studied. Has been one of the class of 2019. When did it become a law that I am responsible for even knowing, let alone reporting, their immigration status? Yet there it is, I am. Along with me are other academics, nurses, doctors, social workers and the like.

Exactly what@FluffyAlpaca19 says.
This is for the admin department to deal with; this is just not going to come up for you. Stop worrying unduly.

Nope, not hypothetical, very acute.

Yes, how would you, as a lecturer know a student is here without leave unless they tell you?

Your Institution will lose it's tier 4 licence and will no longer be allowed to take in foreign students if it does not comply with the UKVI rules, which include making sure its students are here legally.

That means other students who are here legally will lose their places and your Institution will lose a lot of funding, not to mention the fines.

If on discovery they allowed a student like that to continue, indeed they would. I have learned today it is not unusual and it happens all the time. What horrifies me is we are all forced to comply and report.

A student outstayed their visa, or never had one. Paid their fees, and studied. Has been one of the class of 2019.
It is quite an improbable situation, given that even to decide on their fees level in the first place (Home vs Overseas), the admission team would have needed to see proof of their nationality / residence status.

When did it become a law that I am responsible for even knowing, let alone reporting, their immigration status?
Never, there is no such law.

Don't do it. Do not contribute to the hostile environment.

I couldn't live with myself or sleep if I did this to another human. The statement that "we were just following orders" is still abhorrent.

Such a vile Government.

students of mine who are illegally in the UK (enemy aliens for want of a better word).

“Enemy aliens”? There are much more accurate words (phrases). “Enemy alien” would only apply if we were at war.

As far as illegal immigrants go, what does your union say?

Improbable or not, @Puzzledbyart, not unusual, either. Overseas fees of course. And I do not see why I am supposed to be the canary to sound the alarm.

My union is entirely British centred, and it is a union for university lecturers, not students, so it does not have an opinion on students beyond soundbites.

Tottie, the op was using that phrase to express her distaste

How UK health workers deal with this scenario is completely different to your situation; the 2 situations are incomparable.

BridgetvonHammersmark Fri 04-Oct-19 22:08:34

Don’t do it, don’t do this god awful governments dirty work for it.

This. Really - this. Others have commented in a similar vein. This 'hostile environment' thing is, or at least could be, the start of something incredibly sinister.

Tottie, the op was using that phrase to express her distaste

It goes a bit further than that.

I feel distaste for conservative MPs, but I wouldn’t call them Nazi stormtroopers because that’s inflammatory, inaccurate, histrionic bilge.

I disagree. The health workers I look after are medical and nursing students, I do not think it is totally different. They are tomorrow's doctors and nurses.

There has definitely been a move in the last decade towards the state trying to co-opt immigration enforcement responsibility onto non state actors. The failed right to rent scheme was another example. Whatever your views on immigration, whether you're no borders or hang them flog them and deport their babies, that's a pretty significant shift. I find it concerning. If the OP wanted immigration enforcement responsibility, she would presumably have applied to join the Home Office.

I wouldn't ask any questions. I assume you're not involved in admissions or anything that would mean you have to see documents and "rights" to live here.

Ffs what is the world coming to. It has a chilling 1930’s tone to it when Germany were in a depression.

Ignore it, the world is already so cruel don’t make it even worse.

it is a question of the home office (? is it them or immigration) swooping in.

UKVI comes under the Home Office, like the police do. They aren’t separate organisations, as such.