Have you been affected by the visa delays?

As reported by the BBC last week, there are possibly thousands of international students currently stranded in the UK without their passports due to significant delays in processing Tier 1 (Post Study Work) visa applications.

NUS received many many stories from international students explaining how these delays are affecting them - many cannot go abroad for acadmic conferences and crucial research, and even more worryingly, many are unable to leave the country to visit sick loved ones. Due to UKBA policies, individuals cannot contact UKBA to find out more about their application, however, you can try to find out more through your MP.

One student who did this has offered up their letter as a draft for other students to use if they urgently need to find out about their PSW visa application. You can download the letter here. Please use this a guide, and make sure you add in relevant information about your own personal situation. You can then find your MP's email address by going to the Parliament website.

Some advice:

• Follow up your letter with a phone call a few days later
• Make sure you are concise and to the point, so you get your message across clearly
• Be persistent but polite - MP's are usually very busy, and they won't prioritise your case if you are rude
• Share your story with other international students on the NUS International Students' Campaign facebook page