EU students say permit delays are putting degrees at risk

By Harriet Swain. By now, Emilia Gheorghe, a second-year Romanian student at Hull University, should be working at an international summer school, developing children's English language skills and arranging activities. It was a job that could have boosted her chances of getting a place on the Teach First scheme for high-flying graduates. Instead, she has been forced to stay with a friend while she waits for the UK Border Agency (UKBA) to process her application for a work permit – 18 months after she originally applied.
"If this happened in Romania, all Europe would have pointed the finger at us," she says. "I'm sure most people in England don't even know this is happening."