Lankan student in Wales, refused asylum to be deported

A Sri Lankan student studying at Bangor University in Wales is reported to be deported to Sri Lanka just three months before completing her Electrical Engineering degree, Wales Online reported.

Shiromini Satgunaraja, who is predicted to graduate with a First Class Honours, has been refused asylum. NUS Wales explained that Shiromini first arrived in the United Kingdom in 2011. She and her mother were granted Discretionary Leave to Remain while she completed her GCSEs after her father passed away.

Further Leave to Remain was then granted on appeal which enabled Shiromini to complete her A Levels and start a university course.

When that expired, further grants of Leave to Remain and of asylum were denied, but Shiromini has been allowed to remain in the United Kingdom to continue her university course while appealing.

A member of the family explained that the mother and daughter were arrested shortly after their visa applications were rejected.

“They got arrested on February 21 because their visas were rejected,” the family member explained.

“They were at the police station until roughly 6pm on Thursday. They then got taken to Yarlswood Detention Centre.

“We don’t know how what will happen next but I know flights have been booked for them to go back to Sri Lanka at 9pm on February 28.” They could at least let her stay to finish her degree otherwise her two years of studying will go wasted.

“Her dad was a maths teacher so she’s always been very interested in learning.” The Home Secretary has been informed

NUS Wales Deputy President, Carmen Smith, and Undeb Bangor Students’ Union Vice President Education and Welfare, Helen Marchant, have written to the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd MP, to request that she use her discretionary power to stop the deportation.