Immigration, including visas

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Your Tier 4 sponsor's licence has been withdrawn - what does this mean?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 Tier 4 sponsor's licence has been suspended - what does this mean?

A number of institutions have recently been suspended by the UKBA from the Register of Tier 4 sponsors. 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 visa letters or 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 the institution from the Register of Tier 4 sponsors.

If you intended to submit an immigration application to study at an institution which is now suspended, it is not advisable to do so at this time. 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If the institution's sponsor licence is subsequently withdrawn, your immigration application will be refused. See below for further details on withdrawn Tier 4 sponsor licences.

And have already been granted immigration permission as student
The UKBA advise that you do not travel to the UK using this immigration permission until after they 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. This is stated in the Tier 4 Policy Guidance Annex 2 paragraph 8. You are allowed to study at the institution while it is suspended but there is the risk that 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 there is the risk that 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 your leave may be curtailled. 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 visa letter or a CAS by an institution, before it was suspended from the Register of Tier 4 sponsors, you may still include this visa letter or CAS with your immigration application. However, your application will not be processed until after the UKBA have completed their investigations.

If the 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 the institution was suspended before issuing you with a valid visa letter or CAS, it is not able to provide you with one 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 visa letter or 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 an institution's Tier 4 sponsor licence has been withdrawn or revoked, the institution is no longer allowed to sponsor international students to study in the UK. All confirmations of acceptance for studies (CAS) and visa letters already issued by this institution will become invalid.

If you are currently outside the UK

And have not yet been granted immigration permission as a student
All new and outstanding immigration applications which include a visa letter or CAS issued by an institution which 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. This institution will issue a visa letter or CAS 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. This institution will issue a visa letter or CAS 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

The UKBA will contact you directly regarding your existing immigration permission once a decision has been taken to withdraw your institution's Tier 4 sponsor licence.

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 curtailled to 60 days from the date of the UKBA's notification. Within this period you must leave the UK or apply for immigration permission to study at an institution which is an approved sponsor.

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 curtailed. However you must leave the UK or apply for immigration permission to study at an institution which is an approved sponsor.

If you are about to submit an immigration application as a student
If you were issued a visa letter or a CAS by an institution, before it was withdrawn from the Register of Tier 4 sponsors, you should not include this with your immigration application as it will be refused. You must leave the UK or apply for immigration permission to study at an 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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