(CNN) -- A 22-year-old man from Pakistan hopes to soon swim the English Channel with an American friend -- but first he's got to navigate the currents of bureaucracy. College teammates David Gatz (left) and Usman Javaid want to swim the English Channel for charity. Usman Javaid, an Ohio college student who has won national swimming titles in his native Pakistan, wants to swim the channel with his best friend, David Gatz, a fellow member of the swim team at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. They want to honor their international friendship by working together to accomplish a great feat: a relay across the English Channel. They also hope to raise money for charity.
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College teammates want to swim English Channel for charity, international harmony
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Swim was to happen between now and August 6, but one denied visa to Britain
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Usman Javaid, an Ohio student from Pakistan, says U.K. questioned student status
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Javaid reapplies for visa, waits for decision
"They weren't satisfied I was going to @placeholder for the stated purpose," he said.
"Even if I have to swim in a lake in Pakistan while David swims in the @placeholder, it's still a powerful symbol," Javaid said.