Student sponsor licence changes

Most students complete their studies in the UK with no issues around their visa or Student sponsorship.  However, occasionally changes are made to an institution’s Student sponsor licence that could affect you. 

Last updated on January 13, 2025

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Introduction

Last updated September 19, 2024

Most students complete their studies in the UK with no issues relating to their visa or Student sponsorship.  However, occasionally changes are made to an educational institution’s Student sponsor licence that could affect the international students that they sponsor.  Some of these changes happen because an institution changes how it operates, and some are instigated by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).  

We’ve provided guidance for changes to a sponsor’s licence that may impact you below. The action you will need to take, if any, depends on a variety of factors, for example whether you already have Student permission or if you are in the UK or overseas. 

Student sponsor undergoes significant changes in its ownership or operation (for example, a merger)

Last updated September 18, 2024

Sometimes a sponsor institution decides to, or needs to, make changes to the way it is owned or the way it operates as a business. It may merge with another existing institution or divide itself (de-merge) into separate institutions of varying size. It may take over another institution or get taken over in full/part by another institution.  These situations are not common, but they can happen occasionally. 

When significant business changes happen for a Student sponsor, it can be unsettling and unnerving for the staff who work at that institution and for the students who study there. If an institution is taken over in full or in part by another organisation, students may be transferred to that other organisation. Alternatively, if an institution decides to carry out a de-merger, students may be transferred to one of the other organisations created as part of that dividing.   

Your sponsor institution must act carefully if it undergoes any such significant change in its business circumstances. All sponsors must follow prescriptive guidance written for them by the Home Office. This guidance is available online and is called the ‘Student sponsor guidance’. There are five separate guidance documents each outlining different requirements your sponsor needs to follow. Your institution is required by this Sponsor guidance to report a merger, takeover, de-merger, change of ownership and all similar changes to the Home Office in appropriate timescales.  

Document 2 of the sponsor guidance (titled 'Sponsorship duties’) assures us that:  

“[a] student studying at an organisation involved in a merger, de-merger or takeover does not need to apply for new permission to stay and the new sponsor does not have to assign a new CAS ”.   

This means that if you hold Student permission with a sponsor that is undergoing, or about to undergo, a merger/de-merger/takeover, you should not normally need to take any personal action. You also do not need to notify the Home Office about your institution’s changes – that is for your institution to do. Your Student permission would usually only be affected if the sponsor(s) involved do not follow published guidance provided by the Home Office. This is very unlikely however, as institutions that sponsor students on the Student route are aware of their responsibilities to their students and the Home Office. In any situation such as a merger/de-merger/takeover, your sponsor will likely be communicating with you via email about the changes so it is important to check your emails regularly for updates. However, if you are concerned about what that may mean for you and your Student immigration permission, ask to speak to a member of staff in the international student advice or compliance team at your institution.   

Student sponsor has closed

Last updated February 17, 2025

An institution that closes is required to notify the Home Office. If the institution has not already lost its Student sponsor licence because of compliance reasons, the Home Office will withdraw it with immediate effect. All Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) that have been assigned become invalid, and current students' Student permission will be affected. 

Any action you need to take depends on a variety of factors, such as whether you currently have Student permission, how long you have left and where you are based: 

 

I have more than 60 days of Student permission left, and I am in the UK
 
The Home Office will write to you and shorten your permission (this process is called ‘cancellation’). It is important that the Home Office always has your current address in the UK, and that your Student sponsor has an up-to-date email address for you; see our information on how to protect your Student status for information about reporting a change of address to the Home Office. If the Home Office does not have a current address or email address for you, this may delay important letters reaching you, or they may not reach you at all.
 
Your permission to stay in the UK will be cancelled to 60 days from the date on the letter from the Home Office. You must leave the UK or make a new immigration application if you wish to remain in the UK.
 
I have less than 60 days of Student permission left, and I am in the UK
 
Your permission to stay in the UK will not be shortened. However, you must leave the UK or make a new immigration application if you wish to remain in the UK before your current Student permission expires.
 
I am overseas
 
If you are overseas and your Student sponsor has closed, you should not attempt to travel back to the UK using your existing Student permission. Whether you have more or less than 60 days permission remaining is irrelevant, you will not be able to re-enter the UK on your Student permission. If you need to re-enter the UK, you will need to do so under a different type of immigration permission (for example, Visitor).

Do not attempt to use a CAS issued by a Student sponsor that has closed. Your application will be refused, even if the CAS was issued before they closed. 

If you are in the UK, you must leave or make a new immigration application if you wish to remain in the UK, before your current Student permission expires. 

If you are outside the UK and planning to make a Student route application, you should not use the CAS from a Student sponsor that has closed. You will need to apply for a new course at a new Student sponsor, and obtain a place there before receiving a new CAS from that sponsor. 

All Student route applications made with a CAS issued by a Student sponsor that has closed will be refused. If you are in the UK and your Student sponsor has closed whilst your application is being decided, you may wish to speak to us on our Student advice line for support. You may also wish to seek advice from a solicitor or legal adviser. 

If you are outside the UK, your application will be refused. You will need to apply for a new course at a new Student sponsor, and obtain a place there before receiving a new CAS from that sponsor. 

If you have already paid a deposit to the institution which has closed, you will need to contact them directly to request any refund you are entitled to. See information about fee refunds at the end of this page.  

Student sponsor has failed their Basic Compliance Assessment

Last updated September 18, 2024

When an institution first obtains a licence to sponsor students it will be listed as a 'Probationary Sponsor' on the register of licensed Student sponsors. After having this status for 12 months the institution must apply to obtain full Student Sponsor status. 

An institution that has Student Sponsor status must apply to the Home Office every 12 months to have a basic compliance assessment. Your sponsor must be able to show that most of the students to whom it issues a CAS are granted Student immigration permission, enroll on and complete their course, and that it and its students comply with all relevant immigration requirements. 

Failure to pass this annual assessment means UKVI will begin compliance action against the Student sponsor, often starting with removing them from the register of licensed sponsors.  

Student sponsor has been given a zero CAS allocation

Last updated September 18, 2024

The Home Office can decide to stop a Student sponsor from issuing any Confirmations of Acceptance for Study (CAS), even if the sponsor remains on the register of licensed Student sponsors. This is usually called a zero CAS allocation. 

If this happens to your sponsor, but you have been issued a CAS for a Student route application, you can still use that CAS in the normal way. Your Student application should not be held or delayed, unless the Home Office decides to remove your institution from the register of licensed sponsors. 

Students who are actively sponsored by a Student sponsor that has a zero CAS allocation may continue with their studies, and they may enter or re-enter the UK using that permission.  

If you need to make a Student route application and you have not yet been issued a CAS, you will need to wait until your Student sponsor can issue CAS again before applying, or seek study at another sponsor.  

We advise all students studying at (or planning to study at) a Student sponsor with a zero CAS allocation to monitor the situation closely as the situation may change as the Student sponsor addresses any concerns from the Home Office.   

 

Student sponsor has had its licence revoked

Last updated February 17, 2025

Sponsor licence revocation is the strongest compliance action UKVI can take on a Student sponsor. If a Student sponsor licence is revoked, they are no longer able to sponsor any students on the Student route. This affects current and prospective students. The sponsor will be removed and banned from the register of licensed Student sponsors. 

Any action you need to take depends on a variety of factors, such as whether you currently have time remaining on your Student permission, and where you are based: 

Typically, where a Student sponsor has had their licence revoked, UKVI will contact you in the form of a letter and explain that your Student permission has been cancelled to 60 calendar days from the date of said letter. If you wish to continue studying in the UK, you will need to find a new Student sponsor willing to sponsor you, and you will need to make a new Student route application with a new CAS issued by a new sponsor.  

You may be allowed to continue studying at your existing Student sponsor for a limited period, but this will be at the discretion of UKVI. The maximum period a sponsor can continue to teach you is 6 months, or the end of your current academic year, whichever is longest. You will be contacted by UKVI and the Student sponsor to explain whether this will be a possibility, so it is important to remain in contact with your Student sponsor.  

If the Home Office believes that you were involved with any of the reasons that your institution lost its licence, for example you breached your conditions or knew that the institution was not a genuine education provider, it can end your immigration permission.  

If you have a CAS that has been issued by the Student sponsor that has had their licence revoked, you should not use it in a Student route application as it will no longer be valid. Any attempt to use the CAS will lead to a visa refusal.  

If you have already made a Student route application using a CAS from a Student sponsor who has had their licence revoked, but your decision is pending, your application will be refused. If you find yourself in this situation, please contact us on our Student advice line as soon as possible. We may be able to advise and guide you with your next steps. 

If you already have your entry clearance visa under the Student route, you must not travel. That entry clearance visa will be cancelled and you will be unable to use it to travel to the UK successfully.

If you are overseas at the time of your Student sponsor’s licence revocation and you have Student immigration permission that you have already activated by entering the UK (i.e., you are in your second year of an Undergraduate degree and are at home for the summer holidays), you may have difficulty re-entering the UK with your current permission. If this situation applies to you, please call our Student advice line for further support.  

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

Tuition fee refunds, cancellation and changing Student sponsors

Last updated September 18, 2024

Any changes to your Student sponsor licence can mean major changes to your time in the UK, so seek advice and guidance where appropriate. Your Student sponsor’s international student advice or compliance team should be an important point of contact. 

It is important that you understand exactly what is happening when we explain that your immigration permission may be cancelled to 60 days from the date of a UKVI letter. As an example: 

You are in the UK with Student route permission until 30 December 2026. You receive a cancellation notice from UKVI dated 1 March 2025 to tell you that your permission is being cancelled to 60 days from the date of the letter. This means your permission will now end on 30 April 2025. 

If you were to leave the UK at any time before 30 April 2025, your immigration permission will lapse (automatically expire). This will not show on your immigration document or eVisa, but it will be on the Home Office's computer system. This means you will not be able to re-use that permission to enter the UK.   

Instead, you should apply for a new visa before you return to the UK. Likewise, even if you have not yet been informed by the Home Office that your immigration permission has been cancelled, you should not try to re-enter the UK using leave that is due to be cancelled.  

If your immigration permission is cancelled, you are not being formally removed or deported from the UK. Furthermore, having your immigration permission cancelled does not in itself necessarily have any repercussions for future UK immigration applications (although it must always be declared). 

If you are needing to switch to a new Student sponsor (for example, because their licence was revoked), your current Student sponsor may offer to help you transfer so it’s advisable that you contact the institution’s student advice service, if possible. If you are studying an English language course and your college is accredited by Accreditation UK, contact English UK directly to seek their advice about how they can help.  

For advice on finding out whether you can be reimbursed for any of the fees you have already paid, see the information below about fee refunds.  

If you have been accepted on a course at a new Student sponsor you must still meet the Student requirements and apply for new Student immigration permission to study that specific course at your new Student sponsor. You will need to check whether you can apply from within the UK and consider when to make your application.   
 
If you are unable to meet the requirements to apply from within the UK, or the gap between the end of your immigration permission and the start date of your new course is more than 28 days, you must leave the UK before the end date of your immigration permission and make a new application under the Student route in your home country.  

There is no guarantee you will get your money back, and there is no specific protection for international students who have lost money in this way. It may be possible to take action under UK consumer protection law, or if your fees were paid by credit card, and the credit card company has payment protection. Otherwise, you can refer the issue to your local authority Trading Standards Services or the Office of Fair Trading.  If the institution has closed or been declared insolvent, it might take a long time to find out if you will receive any money back, and there is little chance of receiving a full refund. 

The most appropriate course of action will depend on your individual circumstances. The following organisations give information and practical advice: 

  • The website of the UK government includes information about consumer rights 
  • Consumer Service of Citizens Advice - for information on whether you may be able recover the fees paid to the institution if it goes out of business before you complete your course. You can call or complete an online form. 
  • Trading Standards institute - can take action against institutions which misrepresent the services they provide; use the postcode tool to find your nearest Trading Standards office. 

If you believe there has been fraud on the part of the institution, for example, if it never intended to provide the course for which you paid, then it might be worth contacting the police. You can also consult your local Citizens Advice Bureau for further information and advice. 

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