Mystery over missing University of Wolverhampton overseas students
Mystery surrounds what happened to more than 50 overseas students who were granted permission to study in the Black Country but never turned up for courses.
The University of Wolverhampton says there were 52 people on its books over four months between 2011 and 2012 who never arrived for classes.
Over the same period, the City of Wolverhampton College made offers to 13 foreign students – one of whom never enrolled.
The students all came from outside the European Economic Area which as well as the European Union's member states bar Croatia, also includes Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
The university and college reported the cases to the UK Border Agency but the agency said it could not provide any details.
Education bosses said they had not been told if the people entered the country or not.
The university's deputy vice-chancellor for access and lifelong learning, Jane Nelson, said: "For students who fail to enrol the UK Border Agency requires the university to report this to them no later than 10 days after the enrolment period has ended.
"The university met this requirement in all cases last year. We do not know whether these applicants actually entered the UK, as the border agency do not share this information with the university."
Figures also show that 12 visas were granted to students who enrolled at Dudley College.
Four were refused and the Border Agency was informed. All the students whose visas were granted enrolled.
It comes after the Home Office introduced a new system for student visas in March 2009 in a bid to tackle abuse of the system where people would apply for a course as a way of getting into the country.
Measures introduced include new conditions such as students having to be sponsored by an educational institution licensed by the agency.
However in March last year the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee said that the agency did not have the correct controls in place.
The electronic system, which showed whether students were sponsored, was not enforced until February 2010.
The result was an additional 40,000 to 50,000 additional migrants coming to the UK to work rather than study, the committee said.
Warley MP John Spellar has called for improvements at the agency, as there is also around a seven year backlog of immigration cases waiting to be processed in the West Midlands.
Mr Spellar, who has been the area's MP since 1992, has said many were being left living on benefits funded by taxpayers.
