Immigration, including visas

2 August 2011

Finding a new Tier 4 Sponsor

• Your institution in the UK has closed. What does this mean for you?
• Your Tier 4 sponsor's licence has been suspended. What does this mean?
  • If you are currently outside the UK
  • If you are already in the UK
• Your Tier 4 sponsor's licence has been withdrawn. What does this mean?
  • If you are currently outside the UK
  • If you are already in the UK
• Finding a new course of study

Your institution in the UK has closed. What does this mean for you?

If the institution that you are currently studying at, or intend to study at, closes they are required to notify the UK Border Agency, who will then withdraw their Tier 4 sponsor licence immediately. All confirmations of acceptance for studies that your institution has already assigned will become invalid, and current students' Tier 4 leave may be affected.

See our detailed guideMy college has closed. What are my options?

 

Your Tier 4 sponsor's licence has been suspended. What does this mean?

Your immigration permission may be at risk if your institution is suspended from the Register of Tier 4 sponsors by UKBA. Suspensions are for a temporary period whilst the UKBA carry out further investigations into each institution.

The result of these investigations will either be to reinstate the Tier 4 sponsor licence or to withdraw it completely. During the suspension these institutions cannot issue any new confirmations of acceptance for studies (CAS). However suspended institutions can continue to teach students who already have immigration permission to be in the UK.

If you are currently outside the UK

And have not yet been granted immigration permission as a student
If you have already submitted a Tier 4 student immigration application to study at an institution who has had their licence suspended, it will be put on hold. Your application will not be processed until the UKBA have completed their investigations and a decision taken to lift the suspension or withdraw your institution from the Register of Tier 4 sponsors.

If you are preparing to submit an immigration application to study at an institution which is now suspended, you should wait. Your application will not be processed until the UKBA have completed their investigations and a decision taken to lift the suspension or withdraw the institution from the Register of Tier 4 sponsors.

If the institution's sponsor licence is subsequently withdrawn, your immigration application will be refused and you will lose your application fee. See below for further details on withdrawn Tier 4 sponsor licences.

And have already been granted immigration permission as student
You should not travel to the UK using this immigration permission until after the UKBA have completed their investigations. You should contact the institution directly to discuss options for deferring your studies until after the suspension has been lifted by the UKBA.

However, if you do travel to the UK using the immigration permission you have already been granted, you will be allowed to enter and enrol on your course. This is stated in the Tier 4 Policy Guidance Annex 2 paragraph 9. You are allowed to study at the institution while it is suspended but you will have to find an alternative institution if the UKBA later decide to withdraw the Tier 4 licence.

Instead of travelling to the UK to study at the suspended institution, you may decide to study at an alternative institution which is on the Register of Tier 4 sponsors. In this case, you will need to apply for fresh immigration permission before travelling to the UK.

If you are already in the UK

And have continuing immigration permission as a student
You are allowed to continue studying at your institution during the suspension period provided you have continuing immigration permission. However you will have to find an alternative sponsor if the UKBA later decide to withdraw the Tier 4 licence from your current sponsor.

If this does happen, you will be notified by the UKBA directly and the time that you are allowed to stay in the UK may be reduced. See below for further details on withdrawn Tier 4 sponsor licences.

And need to apply for immigration permission as a student
If you were issued with a CAS by an institution, before it was suspended from the Register of Tier 4 sponsors, you may still apply for additional leave to remain using this CAS. However, your application will not be processed until after the UKBA have completed their investigations.

If your institution's sponsor licence is subsequently withdrawn, your immigration application will be refused. See below for further details on withdrawn Tier 4 sponsor licences.

If you were not issued with a CAS before your insitution was suspended, you will not be able to get a valid CAS from the institution until after a decision is taken to lift the suspension. If you wish to apply to remain in the UK as a student, you must find an alternative institution which is on the Register of Tier 4 sponsors and submit an immigration application based on their CAS.

It is important that you submit a valid immigration application before your existing leave expires or you will become an overstayer. Alternatively you should leave the UK before your current permission expires.

Your Tier 4 sponsor's licence has been withdrawn. What does this mean?

If your institution's Tier 4 sponsor licence has been withdrawn or cancelled by the UKBA, it is no longer allowed to sponsor international students to study in the UK. All confirmations of acceptance for studies (CAS) already issued by your institution will become invalid.

If you are currently outside the UK

And have not yet been granted immigration permission as a student
All immigration applications which include a CAS issued by an institution that is no longer on the Register of Tier 4 sponsors, will be refused.

You will need to find an alternative Tier 4 sponsor before you can submit a valid immigration application. You must apply for, and be offered a place on, a recognised course at a different institution which is an approved Tier 4 sponsor. You will need to receive a CAS from this institution which you can then use as part of your new immigration application to come to the UK as a student.

If you have already paid a deposit to the institution which has had its sponsor licence withdrawn, you will need to contact them directly to request a refund.

And have already been granted immigration permission as a student
You should not travel to the UK as you will not be allowed to enter. Your permission to enter or remain will be cancelled on arrival in the UK.

You will need to find an alternative Tier 4 sponsor before you can submit a fresh immigration application. You must apply for, and be offered a place on, a recognised course at a different institution which is an approved Tier 4 sponsor.You will need to receive a CAS from this institution which you can then use as part of your new immigration application to come to the UK as a student.

If you have already paid a deposit to the institution which has had its sponsor licence withdrawn, you will need to contact them directly to request a refund.

If you are already in the UK

You will be contacted directly by the UKBA regarding your existing immigration permission once a decision has been taken to withdraw your institution's Tier 4 sponsor licence. You should ensure that the UKBA have your most up-to-date contact details by completing the Migrant change of circumstances form.

If you have immigration permission as a student which will continue to be valid for more than 6 months
Your permission to stay in the UK will be shortened to 60 days from the date on the letter from the UKBA. You must leave the UK or apply for immigration permission to study at an alternative institution which is an approved sponsor within these 60 days.

If you have immigration permission as a student which is due to expire within the next 6 months
Your permission to stay in the UK will not be shortened. However, you must leave the UK or apply for immigration permission to study at an alternative institution which is an approved sponsor before your current leave expires.

If you are about to submit an immigration application as a student
You should not submit an immigration application using a CAS from an institution which is no longer on the Register of Tier 4 sponsors, even if the CAS was issued before the institution was removed from the Register. If you do go ahead and submit your application, it will be refused. You must leave the UK or apply for immigration permission to study at an alternative institution which is an approved sponsor.

In each of the three situations outlined above, you will need to find a new course at an institution which is on the Register of Tier 4 sponsors if you wish to remain in the UK as a student. For information on how to do this see the section below on Finding a new course of study.

Finding a new course of study

If you are still in your home country and you applied with the help of a local education adviser, you should contact them directly and ask for further assistance. Alternatively your nearest British Council office may be able to help. They can advise you how to find a new programme of study at an approved institution in the UK.

If you are already in the UK, you should contact the adviser at your current institution for advice on finding a new course at an approved institution. If you do not wish to discuss this with the adviser or if the adviser is unable to help you, please go to Where can I find out about courses of study in the UK? for more information.

If you require further advice on your immigration status, and that of any dependants who are in the UK with you, call the UKCISA Advice line

   

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