A TEENAGER is terrified all her hard work was for ‘nothing’ as her immigration status threatens her university dream.

Bota McCormack is facing huge oversea student fees - despite living in Coylton for the past six years.

The 17-year-old moved from Kazakhstan with her mother Aida McCormack in 2013, when she married Stewart McCormarck from Ayr.

The Kyle Academy pupil is hitting out over the ‘unfair’ and ‘frustrating’ immigration process which her family claim will take them ten years to complete.

Bota fears she may have to reject two dream university offers in Edinburgh because of her status is ‘being so drawn out.’

She said: “It’s disappointing I’ve worked so hard these past six years trying my best at school for it not to be worth anything. I really want to do architecture.

“Most of my friends have received their offers and it is annoying for me I can’t be excited about mine and I feel a bit left out.

“I went to school with everyone else and I’ve grown up here, so I should be equal to everyone else.”

Right now Bota has a biometric residence permit but her driving instructor stepdad Stewart, 44, is desperate to get her a full British citizenship as soon as possible.

He said: “Bota has done her full secondary school here, her whole life is in the UK. We are halfway through a ten year visa application.

“She is going into sixth year at school and everything she has done for her exams have all been in the UK..

“All her qualifications are UK based she can’t go to Uni anywhere else and this is her home, she’s really academic.

“I want to sort this, it just doesn’t seem fair. Edinburgh fees are around £27,000 a year for an overseas international student. Napier fees are around £15,000 for overseas.

“She’s losing out on opportunities because of this settlement visa process.

“It’s a total long and drawn out system.

“It just seems like it comes down to you don’t tick this box so you can’t have these opportunities.

“We are in the country completely lawfully. It is stressing her out big time and her mum.

“Bota has put in so much work but she feels she’s done all this work for nothing.

“I’d like to get her taken in as a home student, she’s got a national insurance number.

Bota’s local MSP Jeane Freeman and MP Allan Dorans are now looking into setting up a meeting with the teenager to find a solution to the issue.

The family are desperately applying to SAAS for university funding that may cover the giant oversea’s fee’s for the Ayr student.

The Ayr advertiser reached out to the UK Government for a comment.