Birmingham University criticised for “discriminating” against non-EU staff

The University of Birmingham has been criticised by unions and campaigners for “discriminatory” monitoring of non-EU academics.

New plans to impose stricter immigration controls will require non-EU staff to “record their attendance in the new system each day, by completing a time card” which must be verified by their line manager at the end of each week.

President of Birmingham’s University and College Union (UCU) branch, James Brackley, said the system would affect hundreds of international staff.

“It appears that the proposed system is a significant escalation of that monitoring and will put them under much greater scrutiny and give their line managers a lot more power over them,” he said.

He added: “The affected staff feel discriminated against. Some have said they think it’s a racist policy comparable to going through a border checkpoint simply to do their daily work. It makes them feel like outsiders and that they’re not trusted by their employer.”

In response, a spokesperson for the university clarified that they are not implementing a “new attendance monitoring system” for non-EU staff, and is not expecting them to check in with their line manager on a daily basis.

They said: “As with all organisations that employ staff on tier 2 and tier 3 visas, the university is required by the Home Office to confirm that staff are regularly attending work.”

The spokesperson continued that like other universities, they are creating a new finance, human resources (HR), and payroll IT system to provide self-service to staff.

“This replaces outdated, often paper-based systems and processes and gives staff control of things like booking leave, accessing payslips and changing personal details,” they concluded.

The guidelines abide to the Hostile Environment policy, which implemented by the government since 2010. The policy requires all universities to inform the Home Office of any breaches in the visa or immigration status of an international student or member of staff.

Last year, the University of Sussex introduced a similar plan where non-EU staff had to report to HR on their whereabouts at all times, both on and off campus. However, plans did not go through due to disapproval from unions and campaigners.

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran strongly opposes the Home Office policy and has called for it to be scrapped.

Commenting on Birmingham’s new plans, she said: “It is terrible that the University of Birmingham feels like they are under this obligation from the government. It is another reminder of the cold shoulder that the UK is giving to the brightest talent from across the world.”