2,000 students at risk of deportation from UK

LONDON — More than 2,000 foreign students face possible deportation from Britain after their university was stripped of its right to authorize visas.

Immigration Minister Damian Green said Thursday that London Metropolitan University had lost its “highly trusted status” because a survey had found more than a quarter of its foreign students did not have permission to be in the country.

The students have 60 days to find a new sponsor, or they could find themselves at risk of deportation.

Universities Minister David Willetts says a task force has been set up to help genuine students who are affected through no fault of their own.

The university’s president, Liam Burns, says the government’s “heavy-handed decision makes no sense for students, no sense for institutions and no sense for the country.”