Table Of Contents
- What is losing a student sponsor licence
- What if your university loses its sponsor licence
- If your university loses its licence while you are studying in the UK
- If your university loses its student sponsor licence before you start studying in the UK
Obtaining sponsorship from a licensed student sponsor is a mandatory requirement for a student visa. A licensed student sponsor for the purpose of a student visa is an educational institution- such as a university or college- approved by UKVI to sponsor international students. But what if your university loses its sponsor licence before you apply for a visa, applied for a visa that is still being considered, or after you have obtained a visa? Once the revocation of a student sponsor licence is confirmed, the institution is removed from the Sponsor Register of Student Sponsors. You must check whether your university has been removed from the Register of Student Sponsors to avoid a visa refusal.
What is losing a student sponsor licence?
If your education provider (university or college) does not comply with its sponsorship duties, UKVI may suspend (meaning UKVI has temporarily stopped the education provider from sponsoring students while it investigates concerns about the institution) or revoke its licence. Having a revoked licence means loss of sponsor licence, which means UKVI has taken away your education provider’s permission to sponsor international students under the UK student visa route.
What if your university loses its sponsor licence?
You could be affected if your sponsor either has its licence suspended or revoked.
Before you can get a UK Student visa, you must have been accepted by an authorised UK education provider for a course that meets the student visa rules. The provider must then issue you a CAS, which you use for your visa application.
If your chosen university or college loses its licence before your visa application is completed, your application can be affected.
You may also need to find another eligible course with a different education provider that is authorised to sponsor international students if your sponsor loses its licence and you are:
• currently in the UK on a student visa
• applying for a student visa
Your new licensed education provider will need to sponsor you.
Let us see both scenarios.
1. If your university loses its licence while you are studying in the UK
If your sponsor loses its licence (meaning it can no longer normally act as your student sponsor) while you are studying in the UK, you may:
• be able to continue to be taught by your current sponsor for a limited amount of time (usually for 6 months or the end of your current academic year of the course you are currently studying at your university when the university loses its student sponsor licence, whichever is the longest)
• have your UK student visa cancelled
Even if your university loses its student sponsor licence, it may continue to operate as an education provider for six months or the end of your current academic year, whichever is the longest. In that situation, it may help you (and its other existing international students) move to another university or college with a valid student sponsor licence so that you can complete your course. UKVI will not use a common fixed academic-year end date for every student if students at the university have different academic schedules.
Your student visa will be cancelled immediately if UKVI believes you have not been a bona fide student at the institution, or that you are involved in the practices that contributed to the loss of your university’s sponsor licence; it may immediately cancel your leave. You will then have to leave the UK or face enforced removal.
If you can continue to be taught by your current education provider
Even though your university has lost its student sponsor licence, UKVI may allow it to continue teaching its students for a limited period, particularly where the students themselves were not involved in the problems that led to the licence being revoked. This arrangement is called “teach-out.”
Your sponsoring university must inform you if you can continue studying for a limited time under the “teach-out” arrangement.
You may be able to finish:
• part of your remaining studies
• your course, if it is close to its end date
Your sponsor will inform you how long you can continue studying for. At the end of that teach-out period, either:
• UKVI will cancel your student permission if your course of study has not been completed
• UKVI will not change the end date of your visa if you have less than 60 days left on it
If your visa is cancelled
If UKVI cancels your student visa, you will be required to find a new student sponsor and then apply for a new visa if you wish to continue to stay in the UK.
You will have 60 days (or the time left on your visa if it is less than 60 days) from the date UKVI cancels your student visa.
You must leave the UK if you fail to find a new student sponsor and submit a new visa application within 60 days (or the time left on your visa if it is less than 60 days) from the date UKVI cancels your student visa, or face a forced removal.
If you find a new student sponsor, you will be required to get a new CAS reference number from the new university, apply for a new visa to study in the UK because you are changing to a different Student sponsor, and pay the applicable visa application fees and IHS (Immigration Health Surcharge).
2. If your university loses its student sponsor licence before you start studying in the UK
If your sponsor loses its licence after you have obtained a student visa but before you travel to the UK to start studying, your visa may be cancelled immediately. You will not get any refund on your visa application fees and healthcare surcharge.
If your visa is cancelled and you still attempt to travel to the UK, you will be refused entry.
On the other hand, your visa application will be refused if you applied for a visa that is yet to be decided and, during this time, your university loses its student sponsor licence.
If you still wish to study in the UK, you must find a new student sponsor and apply for a new visa.
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