A teenage girl who is hoping to study to be an architect has told of her dismay at facing £27,000-a-year tuition fees – despite having lived in Scotland for six years.
Bota McCormack, 17, was born in Kazakhstan but her mother Aida is married to a Scot, stepdad Stewart McCormack.
The family moved to Coylton, Ayrshire, in 2013 from Kazakhstan, where Stewart had worked in the oil industry. Bota has a biometric residence permit and is halfway through a “long residence”, which takes 10 years before she can apply for “settled” status – meaning she can remain in the UK indefinitely.
The dedicated student – a pupil at Kyle Academy in Ayr – has been given an unconditional offer to study at Edinburgh Napier University, and a conditional offer from the University of Edinburgh.
But the fees she faces after being classified as an “international” student mean she may have to give up her dream of studying architecture.
Bota said: “It’s really disappointing that I can’t be as excited as other pupils getting their offers back. It’s a shame.
“I’ve worked just as hard and can’t follow the career I want to do. My mum’s really upset as well. She wants the best education and career for me but it’s just backfired – everybody’s stressed out.
“All my predicted grades are As and Bs, so the exams shouldn’t be a problem. I try my best.”
Fees at the University of Edinburgh would stack up to £27,000 a year, according to the family, while Napier fees were said to be about £15,000.
Stewart, 44, said: “The main problem seems to be the visa application process. It’s taken an entire decade, despite the fact that she’s settled here and is completing her schooling here.
“I’ve done as much as I could by speaking to universities in terms of overturning the decision but it seems to be quite black and white.”
The family are hoping Bota could instead get accepted for a scholarship, and are looking for political support.
The Home Office was contacted for comment.
