Universities should not punish students for bureaucratic incompetence

For the second year in a row, the University of Iceland has expressed a blanket unwillingness to accommodate the needs of international students who, through no fault of their own, are faced with delays in receiving the residence permits that would allow them to travel to Iceland.

Incoming students from outside the European Economic Area are being threatened with disenrollment if they do not arrive by August 17. This is not possible for some of them, due solely to delays in permit processing by Útlendingastofnun. Students from many countries outside the EEA require visas to travel after receiving their permits, which can take days or weeks to process. Many incoming students have reported that they have not received their initial permits yet, nor have they been given an estimated time of arrival. Some of these students were prevented from enrolling last year because of Útlendingastofnun delays. They have been waiting for redress for more than a year; they are being punished twice.

This situation is especially concerning, given that the university will begin charging tuition fees for non-EEA students next academic year. The financial burden faced by international students is already substantial. It is a misconception and a falsehood that international students in Iceland study for free. Incoming international students have already spent hundreds of thousands of krónur on application fees and logistical expenses. They must show that they have more than three million ISK in a bank account to receive a residence permit. It typically takes years for international students to plan and execute a temporary move to Iceland for study. They are now potentially liable for exorbitant expenses for no reason other than the university has, once again, failed to either coordinate with Útlendingastofnun or to accommodate unavoidable delays. Refunds of university registration fees would not begin to touch the personal financial obligations already incurred.

Mismanagement at Útlendingastofnun has been a constant thorn in the side of international students. Deficiencies in service have worsened in the past several years. For this application season, Útlendingastofnun demanded that residence permit applications be received by May 1, a month earlier than usual, while increasing application fees from 16.000 ISK to 70.000 ISK. The extended processing times and tripled fees have done nothing to improve the process. Many applicants have complained of receiving incorrect information, having queries ignored, and having permits unfairly rejected based on staff error. It is clear that Útlendingastofnun is incapable of performing its duties in a timely or fair fashion. This is, quite simply, unacceptable behavior from a public-facing government ministry.

However, while the blame for the delays can safely be set on Útlendingastofnun, it must be stressed that the University of Iceland could choose to acknowledge that these delays are not the fault of individual students. It is refusing to do so.

Last year, the University of Iceland, under pressure, allowed students facing delays to begin their studies in the spring semester. It is incomprehensible why the university is not offering this option again this year. It is unclear why the university finds it impossible to accommodate, at most, a few weeks of online classes. We exist in a post-COVID world, and the university certainly has the technological capacity. Other Icelandic universities have been capable of accommodating these temporary delays. It beggars belief that the largest, most prestigious university in the country is incapable. The deadline for dropping classes is not until September 10. Why can't the university give grace until, at least, that date?

This is discriminatory behavior against non-EEA individuals by the University of Iceland. It also represents continuous failure on behalf of the rector Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir. It is deeply concerning that Silja Bára has allowed this situation to continue two years in a row. This situation is an unnecessary detriment to the University of Iceland’s global reputation. There is no utility in punishing students for following the law.

The University of Iceland must treat its incoming international students with dignity and fairness. These affected students won places at the university on their own merit. They are seeking legal, temporary immigration to Iceland using the proper channels. They do not deserve to lose a full academic year, incur unexpected costs, or waste years of preparation just because the university, the rector, and Útlendingastofnun are too inflexible to learn from last year's mistakes.

Colin Fisher is a doctoral student at the University of Iceland and the current equal rights officer at LÍS.