By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-12-19 11:06:46 | Updated at 2024-12-19 14:02:24
2 hours ago
A prestigious Chinese university is investigating after media reports alleged a staff member leading an exchange programme fabricated invitation letters from Cambridge University, resulting in more than 20 students being rejected for visas and facing a future ban by Britain.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Zhejiang University’s school of economics said it had filed police reports after receiving student complaints on December 6 regarding alleged fraud in their visa applications to attend a joint forum in Britain, causing a mass rejection of their visas.
Acknowledging the incident as a grave concern for the school and students, the university said it had also set up a team to conduct an in-depth investigation of the incident and “make every effort to safeguard the rights and interests of students”.
It said the team would “continue to negotiate in various directions and through multiple channels under the guidance of superior foreign affairs departments”, and strive to minimise the impact on students. It also vowed to “sternly punish” anyone found guilty of illegal behaviour.
The school’s statement came days after several mainland media outlets said a staff member in charge of the international exchange programme and a visa agent allegedly fabricated an invitation letter from a Cambridge University professor.
The students had their visas rejected and said the alleged fraud jeopardised the chances of students who wanted to do further study in Britain.
