Visa delays put Hong Kong students’ places at British universities in jeopardy
One student spent more than HK$30,000 on visa applications and air tickets and has now missed her final deadline
At least 220 Hong Kong students are at risk of missing classes – or even losing their place – at British universities because of visa delays, a city legislator has revealed.
Ip Kin-yuen, the lawmaker from the educational constituency, said he had received numerous requests for help from students who had not yet received their visas within the time frame suggested by an agency coordinating their applications – with many missing or set to miss the start of their courses.
“This situation is urgent and could result in some students having to delay graduation,” Ip said.
A 24-year-old student, surnamed Ng, was expected to start a master’s degree programme at a London university on Friday, but his visa had not been granted.
He said he opted for a priority service via VFS Global, an outsourcing services specialist which handles UK visa applications and submitted the necessary documents on August 17.
Ng said the company’s website said it would take three to five working days to get his visa but he had not received the visa by Friday afternoon – 10 working days had passed.