Meet the international student who was not allowed to be editor of The Gryphon

Mikhail Hanafi was going to run for the editor-in-chief position, at The Gryphon in the recent student elections, until he was told he couldn't because he is an international student.

The third-year Sociology and International Relations student who had already been contributing to the university newspaper for the past three years would have been the first person outside the EU to take up the editorial position after moving to Leeds from Malaysia.

On the 1st of February however, he received an email, telling him that because of his international status, it would not be possible. Speaking to The Leeds Tab, Mikhail shared his reaction to the news, saying: "I was gutted if I'm being honest. There were actually two 'you can't be editor' emails. The first time, obviously I wasn't going to just accept the news without doing anything about it, so I did all I could."

Already conscious that taking up the editorial role might be problematic under current immigration laws, Mikhail had spoken to LUU before he began planning his campaign, who had then told him that he would be "fine", as it was down to them as his employers to "support" him.

"I had some concerns that I wouldn't be able to run" he revealed: "I spoke to LUU, and they said it would be fine as I would be able to extend my visa as a sabbatical officer. A day after I brought up the question, they emailed me back saying that, actually, The Gryphon Editor position doesn't qualify under the definition of "sabbatical officer", but they would try to find a solution for me. In their words: 'It would be for us as an employer to get it sorted and support you'."

Ultimately, UK law was preventing Mikhail from the role, a truth which he quickly discovered after working alongside the current editor of The Gryphon and other personalities from the LUU, as Mikhail discussed: "We got help from a lot of different people who chased it up with their higher-ups. A lot of higher management got involved. Chris Morris, our current Union Affairs Officer, really pushed for something to be done, but unfortunately, the way the Union by-laws are defined means that it'd have been impossible to work out a solution which would comply with immigration law. So when I got the second email, it was even worse because I knew that I definitely wouldn't be able to do it."

Commenting on these immigration laws, Mikhail said how they "leave no room for flexibility for individual cases with different circumstances".

"People might say it's an entitled position to take, but I do strongly believe that I should have the right to run for Editor. Similarly, an international student couldn't be Station Manager of LSR or LSTV after they graduate because of the way the laws are set up. We (international students) are meant to feel like we're a part of the student community, but, as you can see, there are institutional barriers which tell us that we can't be, and aren't, full members of these communities".

Additionally, as Mikhail would require a work visa to take up the position of Gryphon Editor (since it does not class as a "sabbatical officer" role) his employment in the future would consequently be made even harder: "It would make it more difficult for me to get a job next year. The £20,800 minimum income is only applicable for people switching from student visas, but the actual threshold is £30,000. So, even if I got the role, next year I'd have to find a job which pays more than £30,000 in order to stay".

These laws raise questions about the structure which Mikhail was subjected to in attempting to run for the position. "People in the UK like to say that your life outcomes shouldn't be determined by the circumstances of your birth, but for some reason, that only applies to people in the UK."

Mikhail continued: "When it comes to people born in places proportionally less fortunate, then it's not their problem. The Home Office does its best to ensure that its hostile environment policy makes it difficult for people to immigrate, keeping people in inhumane immigration detention centres without means to a fair trial."

"Immigrants who want to come here are treated with hostility, as though we want to steal resources from those who are already here. In reality, we just want to contribute to the country and work like anyone else."

After experiencing the full force of these laws first hand, we asked Mikhail if he had any ideas on what can be done to ensure international students will still feel like a part of the wider community: "I think we need to acknowledge that if someone comes into the country, makes friends, becoming a genuine part of a community, then that should count for something. At the very least, we need to be able to fully participate in the community we're meant to be a part of. It's ridiculous that I can't fully contribute to the Union, or represent myself in this role because I am part of this community".

"I don't think there's necessarily an easy fix for universities, as its more an institutional issue which requires serious reform." Mikhail continued: "But immigration is something a lot of international students worry about, and it would be nice to get advice and help from the university about these issues. I realise this is a bit of an idealistic view, but I don't believe that you can discount real human experiences when you're making policies.

"It's clear that, as of right now, the laws don't take into account the individual. Hell, the way immigrants are treated in the government's detention centres makes it seem like we don't even class as 'people'. Last year, 78 per cent of people who sought asylum for being LGBT+ had their applications rejected. Bisexual and gay asylum seekers are told to "just marry someone of the opposite sex", and aren't believed. The government doesn't care about people, their aim is just to reduce us to a number, and to reduce that number no matter the human cost".

Despite his ordeal, Mikhail declared that he is still going to continue with his current job as online media editor at The Gryphon, saying: "I'm still happily doing my job as online music editor here. It's great, and I don't feel like it's been a waste of time or anything. My experience with The Gryphon has been really good."

The Gryphon has since commented on Mikhail's experience, telling The Leeds Tab: "Like Mikhail, I was extremely disheartened to hear that such a clearly talented individual could not run to become next year’s Gryphon Editor.

"Mikhail has all the skills necessary to be a successful Editor-in-Chief and, as such, it is frustrating that our government’s immigration laws have made it impossible for him to carry out a job that he is more than capable of doing.

"The Gryphon supported Mikhail throughout his conversations with the University of Leeds and Leeds University Union, and intends to continue supporting him in campaigning to ensure that, in the future, international students from outside the EU can be the voice of students in Leeds."

A Leeds University Union spokesperson told The Leeds Tab: "Due to Government visa restraints Mikhail was unable to run for position of Gryphon Editor. We have worked to support him through this process and wish him all the luck. We are reviewing our internal rules and we will be applying pressure to Government to change immigration rules because we would love to welcome an international student into this role."