IRR News
Growing academic campaign against immigration rules
By Rebecca Wood
22 April 2009, 5:00pm
Thirty-seven academics have begun a boycott of government immigration rules on students, labelling them as discriminatory.
Under the new points-based immigration system, universities require academic and administrative staff to monitor the attendance of international students and to check the ID of students and colleagues. The thirty-seven academics involved in the boycott, who describe themselves as being 'involved in research on the uses and abuses of state power', claim that the rules effectively turn them into immigration police.
In a letter sent to the Guardian last week, the academics argued that: 'The implementation of UK immigration policies is not part of our contractual duties and we will play no part in practices which discriminate against students and staff in this way'.
In addition to the boycott, the University and College Union (UCU) branches at Goldsmiths and Manchester Metropolitan universities have passed separate motions calling on staff to refrain from implementing these regulations. Both motions are due before the UCU National Executive at its forthcoming national conference.
The Institute of Race Relations is precluded from expressing a corporate view: any opinions expressed are therefore those of the authors.Related links
Read the boycott letter: 'Boycott these checks on students'
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