Overview of Sponsor Duties
As a Tier 4 sponsor, the University is required to safeguard the retention of the Tier 4 licence to continue sponsoring non-EEA students.
All aspects of Student Sponsor Licensing requirements are subject to audit by the UK Visas & Immigration Service at any time. Serious breaches of sponsor obligations result in civil and criminal penalties and the loss of the licence and the University’s continued ability to sponsor non-EEA nationality students.
The Student route sponsor must have:
- A visa refusal rate of less than 10 per cent;
- An enrolment rate of at least 90 per cent of students who are granted a Student visa; and
- A course completion rate of at least 85 per cent
The University must comply with a number of duties in order to be granted and retain its Student route visa licence. General sponsor duties include:
- Complying with the law
- Record-keeping, monitoring and reporting in relation to any sponsored migrants.
- Ensuring that all students at their institutions have permission to study in the UK throughout their course
Our Sponsor obligations begin on the date the CAS is assigned.
They end when:
a) the University tells the Home Office the student has ended their course of study earlier than expected
b) the student leaves the UK or their permission to stay lapses; or
c) the student is issued with a new visa by a different sponsoring organisation or in a different immigration category.
When sponsoring Student route visa holders, the University must meet specific:
- Record-keeping duties
- Reporting duties
- Attendance monitoring duties
Record-keeping duties include the retention of:
- Student’s passport
- BRP (Student visa)
- ATAS clearance certificate
- Evidence of qualifications on which the student’s offer is based
- Records of attendance
Records can be kept either on paper or electronically and must be retained up to one year from the date the university has ended sponsorship.
Reporting duties include:
- Failure to enrol
- Failure to retain satisfactory attendance
- Withdrawal, exclusions or interruptions that are longer than 60 days
- Students who no longer require sponsorship (for changing to a different category, for example)
- Early completion of programme
- Change in place of study
- Change of programme
- Breaches
- Refusal of a Student route visa application
All reports must be made within 10 days of the university having been notified of change.
Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
Non-UK/Irish applicants who wish to study at the University require a CAS to be issued to them, in order to apply for a visa.
A CAS is a virtual number, set up on the Sponsor Management System (SMS) to which both the University and the Home Office have access.
For the purposes of the visa application, must provide the CAS number, which is a randomly generated unique 14 digit code issued by the SMS when a CAS is assigned. A new CAS is required for each new application.
A CAS must only be issued to an applicant where:
- they have provided documentary evidence of meeting the full requirements of an unconditional admission including academic qualifications detailed on the CAS and English language proficiency.
- they intend to study a full time programme of studies at the University, which:
a) results in the award of a recognised UK qualification or degree,
b) is part of a student’s studies at an overseas institution (such as visiting students)
c) results in the completion of a pre-sessional programme or
d) as a participant in the Tier 4 Doctorate Extension Scheme
- they meet the relevant minimum English language requirements, including having provided evidence as set out in the Appendix EL of the immigration rules.
- the programme of studies represents academic progression from a previous level of studies in the UK – e.g., undergraduate degree to postgraduate, school/college qualifications to undergraduate, pre-sessional English language programme to substantive degree course, UNLESS the student is making their visa application from outside of the UK.
- they will not exceed the general 5 year maximum time limit of study in the UK on a student visa (pre-2009), a Tier 4 visa, or a Student route visa unless exempted by one of the concessions in the Immigration Rules.
- the relevant financial requirements for obtaining the Student route visa.
- the requirement to secure an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate before applying for the visa, where one is required.