A Sri Lankan university student says her life has been ruined because a one-day delay in paying her tuition fees led to her being thrown off her degree course and put at risk of deportation.
Navodya De Silva, 25, secured a place at Coventry University to study international hospitality and tourism management, with overseas student fees for the three-year undergraduate course of £42,000.
Her father used his life savings to pay for the course. Sri Lanka is a popular destination for international tourists and her plan was to apply for senior-level tourism jobs in her home country after completing her UK degree.
Now, because of a delay with the fee payment processing system she has fallen foul of Home Office rules for universities that sponsor overseas students.
De Silva began her degree in October 2024 and completed her first year. The deadline for making the first payment for the second year of her studies was 6 October 2025. She transferred the required £8,000 payment on 3 October but due to a delay in her payment arriving into the university’s bank account, the university did not receive it until 7 October, one day after the deadline.
The university reported this delay to the Home Office and as a result she was unable to continue with her degree course and her study visa has been terminated. She has applied for further leave to remain in the UK and is awaiting a Home Office decision. If her application is refused she could be deported.
“The UK is one of the best countries in the world to do a university degree in. I thought that by studying here I would improve my chances of having a good career in the tourism industry in my home country,” she said.
“I did my part properly, paying my fees before the deadline. It was out of my control that there was a delay in the university receiving my payment. I was a student who attended all my classes, got high marks and did all my assignments. I never expected this to happen. I’m in a state of shock and am so stressed.
“If I go back to Sri Lanka with no degree, having lost my father’s life savings, my life will be ruined, just because of a delay in the system for transferring a payment. This decision, based on just a one-day delay, is extremely harsh and disproportionate.”
Her lawyer, Naga Kandiah, said: “She is an international student from Sri Lanka whose parents have invested their life savings in her education in the UK. Despite a one-day delay in the university receiving payment it proceeded to report her to the Home Office, withdraw sponsorship, and trigger the curtailment of her student visa, resulting in severe and life-altering consequences.”
A Coventry University Group spokesperson said: “While we cannot comment on individual cases, all students have a six-week timeframe in which to make payment and complete enrolment and we issue clear guidance and reminders regarding deadlines to support students through the process.
“We are proud of our record in providing wide-ranging support for students but this is balanced with our responsibility to comply with UKVI rules regarding enrolment. We do not set those rules but we are required to enforce them.”
A Home Office spokesperson said:“This is a dispute between the applicant and the sponsor. We will only cancel a student visa following a notification to do so from a sponsor, and has no role in the payment of university fees.”
• This article was amended on 16 April 2026 to add a comment from the Home Office that was provided after publication.
