From Brazil and recently graduated from the University of Warwick, Daniel Stevens has since become the International Students Officer at the National Union of Students (NUS) in the UK. He talked to The PIE about his remit there – and what international students are really thinking.
The PIE: So what does your new role involve? Is it a year post?
DS: Yes, it is a one year sabbatical post as part of the NUS and it involves representing the 450,000 international students studying here, both EU and Non-EU. That figure is most probably higher once you count FE and private colleges; technically they are not in our membership but we represent them anyway. And also international students studying abroad in TNE (transnational education). So that’s another area that we’re investigating, so it’s about, I think now it’s 500,000 international students studying at a UK institution overseas.
The PIE: 500.000? So it’s the same number again basically?
DS: Yes!
The PIE: Wow. Ok and what do you consider to be the main issues of note for international students?
DS: Oh I think it’s no surprise that immigration is the number one issue. I think the attitude towards international students is one that they feel criminalised and that they feel in many ways, some of them – betrayed, because of the closure of PSW [Post-Study Work rights] mid-cycle, basically for those studying degrees or two-year Masters courses. So immigration is a number one priority and we know that universities are on board as well on this; it’s more about being able to being able to change the policy direction of government.
The PIE: Do you think that is at all likely?
“I think the attitude towards international students is one that they feel criminalised and betrayed”
DS: We’ll see. From what I can tell, the party is split and there are definitely some Conservative backbenchers who are quite sympathetic. The only way we can really arrive at this is some type of cross-party bi-partisan approach. I think there has been movement recently to get ball rolling on this, in terms of getting something going, but it’s a case of doing something as soon as possible. Because we know it is already impacting on attitudes and perceptions of international students in the UK.
The PIE: We recently covered a story on UCAS applications for undergraduate study to June 30; non-EU applications hadn’t actually declined.
DS: Well it depends on which regions, so we know for a fact that those from India have declined. It’s also a question of what applications could have been had these rules not been in place.
The PIE: Yes it was commented upon that applications don’t necessarily turn into enrolments..
DS: If you look at international student populations at certain universities, it is very path-dependent. A lot of times, it’s from reccomendations; populations have been built on years and years of people recommending certain institutions to their friends and families. What we think we’re going to see is that over time there will definitely be a drop as the UK is sort of blacklisted by international students because of these visa regulations.
“They’re telling their friends, go to Canada, go to New Zealand, go to other countries”
Certainly the message out there among international students that we’re seeing is that they’re telling their friends, go to Canada, go to New Zealand, go to other countries. To be honest if you put policies side by side and their attitudes side by side, there is no reason not to.
The PIE: Is it primarily the removal of the ability to stay and work that they don’t like? [more>>]
DS: I think it is two things. Certainly PSW is a huge factor but also just the attitude towards international students. Put yourself in the shoes of an international student. You’re going to have to be interviewed I don’t know how many times, to be able to get a visa, once you are here you have to monitored by your institution but that’s not enough you have to be registered with the police and monitored by the police. What we have in place is the rhetoric and system that basically makes international students feel unwanted.
The PIE: What does police registration entail?
DS: Basically you go to a police registration centre, give all your details, it’s a simple process. The problem is sometimes, especially in London, lines [queues] can be very long, with waiting times of 3-4 hours during peak times. And you have to do it every single time you change address.
“Basically you go to a police registration centre, it’s a simple process. The problem is sometimes, especially in London, waiting times of 3-4 hours”
The PIE: Have you heard from students having problems with pending PSW visa issuance, as one of The PIE staff has been waiting six months for her visa.
DS: Oh yeah, we know there has been huge backlogs. Students can’t go home during Christmas, can’t go to funerals.. and the reason is that in-country applications are not seen as a priority. In reality that is having a huge impact on the lives of those individuals. The NUS has certainly raised these concerns.
The PIE: What other ways does NUS engage international students make them feel part of wider community?
DS: We were quite fortunate to receive funding from PMI [Prime Ministers Initiative], back when the UK wanted international students, and we ran the Internationalising Students’ Unions project. We set out to internationalise student unions and make sure they get involved. It was very successful in terms of level of engagement we reached.
The PIE: Do you think there is a lot of work to be done in the UK in terms of integration?
DS: We’ve got to be realistic about what we can achieve. It’s always a second-best solution. You said you studied in France… what happens when British students study at an institution abroad? They stick together. We’re never going to see pure integration because it’s very difficult. What we can try and achieve is a second-best solution – so that international students that come here try and get that experience of living in another country in which they feel fulfilled.
The PIE: So what are your prime goals in your year’s term?
“Unions have to look outwards and know the demographics of universities have changed completely”
DS: Our prime goal is building a strong foundation for both local and national international student representation. A lot of unions still have a long way to go to truly represent and engage international students and that is a huge issue. I think there are a lot of unions that are still focused very much on undergraduates but in reality they have to look outwards and know the demographics of universities have changed completely.
The PIE: And after that?!
DS: The other two big campaigns that we’re going to be pushing hopefully is, firstly, looking at international fees. One of the big things I’m concerned about is that institutions can raise international fees mid-cycle. You can be doing a four-year degree paying £8,000 pa, and the university can turn around – it has in many cases – and say your fees next year are £8,500. It can increase interntional fees above inflation. One thing we really have to look at is quality assurance in terms of international fees.
“One of the big things I’m concerned about is that institutions can raise international fees mid-cycle”
Another is hate crime. International students are more than three times more likely than a UK student to be a victim of hate crime. We’re looking at how can we tackle this essentially.
The PIE: How has it changed your outlook, being an international student?
DS: I can’t answer that but it has changed, definitely has changed; it has completely transformed me as a person.
