The UK government may have falsely accused up to 7,000 foreign students of cheating in English language tests and ordered them to leave the country several years ago, according to a report.
The Financial Times has reported that a government-backed investigation into weeding out foreign students who cheat during English language tests was flawed.
The newspaper said as a result, some were detained by immigration officials, lost their jobs, and were left homeless, despite being in the UK legally.
The investigation was triggered by a 2014 BBC report on systematic cheating at some colleges in the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), one of a number of tests that students can take to meet visa requirements on English proficiency.
As a result of that report, the government asked Educational Testing Services, the US-based company that ran the system, to look into the matter.
The Home Office said it had revoked the visas of 35,870 people as a result by the end of 2016. Most were reportedly told they had no right to appeal and that they should leave the UK.
That same year, an immigration appeal tribunal heard that the assessment (which involved voice technology) may have only been correct in 80 per cent of cases. This means that some 7,000 students had their visas revoked in error.
Patrick Lewis, an immigration barrister told The Financial Times that "the highly questionable quality of the evidence upon which these accusations have been based and the lack of any effective judicial oversight have given rise to some of the greatest injustices that I have encountered in over 20 years of practice".
According to the Financial Times, "a large majority of the students who were accused of cheating have not been allowed to appeal against the Home Office decision, obtain the evidence against them, or meet officials face-to-face so the quality of their English can be assessed".
Mr Lewis that the harsh treatment of the foreign students, who were in the UK legally, "showed the extent to which the "hostile environment" policy, introduced by Theresa May, the prime minister, during her time as home secretary had taken root at the department".
The approach has also been blamed for the harassment suffered by some members of the Windrush generation.
MP Stephen Timms, in whose constituency some of those affected live said "conversations with those affected have convinced me that many were entirely innocent ... Their treatment has been shameful".
In response, a Home Office spokeswoman told The Independent: "In February 2014, investigations into the abuse of English language testing revealed systemic cheating, which was indicative of large scale organised fraud".
"The government took immediate robust action on this, which has been measured and proportionate, and so far 21 people have received criminal convictions for their role in this deception."
