London: Last week, The UK Home Office refused Dr. Asiya Islam’s application for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) on the grounds that she has been out of Britain for more than the stipulated time.

 

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However, the 31 year old academic stated that she had provided the necessary supporting documents to explain her absence. She said that it was because she was spending time in New Delhi for her PhD on Gender, Class and Labour in the New Economy of Urban India.

 

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 The decision by the UK Home Office has caused a widespread outrage among hundreds of academics, activists and students who have signed an open letter to the Office to reconsider its decision to deny a University of Cambridge scholar permanent residency in the UK.

 

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Dr. Islam was a Gates Scholar at the University of Cambridge, awarded as the best degree performance award at the London School of Economics and received the Dr. Zakir Hussain medal for academic excellence from Aligarh Muslim University.