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U.K. student visa alert : student sponsorship licence of 60 institutions suspended

The UK Home Office has suspended the Highly Trusted Sponsor (HTS) status of 57 private Further Education Colleges (FECs), while three other universities have had limitations placed on their licence to recruit, sponsor and provide education services to international students in the United Kingdom.

In a statement delivered in the House of Commons on June 24, 2014, the UK Minister for Immigration and Security, James Brokenshire, MP, announced that the decision to revoke the HTS licences of the 57 FECs and suspend those of the universities had been taken following the uncovering of systematic cheating in English language tests and widespread abuse of immigration rules in the affected institutions.  

Cheating

The minister, in his statement, described how a “detailed and wide-ranging” investigation by immigration enforcement officers uncovered more than 29,000 invalid and 19,000 questionable results of English language proficiency tests by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in 2012 and 2013 and other breaches of student immigration rules by the institutions whose HTS status have consequently been suspended.

English language proficiency is required as part of the processes for determining the 'legitimacy' of international student applications prior to the granting of student visas to the UK.  

UK Immigration rules

Per UK immigration rules, prospective international students are required to demonstrate, in addition to other conditions, that they are proficient in the English language at a level adequate enough to ensure meaningful engagement in the tasks and requirements of further education pursuit in the U.K.  

Ghana is considered a ‘majority English language speaking’ country, and for most students from Ghana this requirement may be waived.  

However, different universities may apply different language proficiency standards which will require additional tests, such as provided by ETS in order to satisfy the ‘language proficiency’ requirement prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) by respective Highly Trusted Sponsor educational institutions.

Issuance of CAS

The possession of a CAS, issued by an HTS licensed institution, is a mandatory requirement for student visa application processes. The issuance of a CAS, which is normally 'priced' at 60 per cent of academic year tuition fees, requires an upfront payment, on average, of $7,000 per student admission application. 

Implication of suspension

The revocation and/or suspension of the HTS licences of the 57 FECs and three universities means that these institutions can no longer sponsor students to the U.K., and any CAS that they have issued or will be issuing to prospective international students will not be recognised by the British High Commission in Ghana and the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) agency for student visa purposes.  

Public alert

The general public, and in particular prospective students to the UK, are advised to check the HTS status of their intended institutions of study prior to the initiation of admission applications and payment of the required CAS fees.  Under no circumstances should prospective students pay up the fees required for the issuance of CAS to any of the educational institutions on the HTS 'suspension' list provided below.  

The general public may visit the UKVI website on www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration for general information on UK student visa requirements and other study guidelines.  When in doubt, prospective students to the UK may contact the Education Section of the Ghana High Commission, London, on + 44 (0) 208 342 7534 or via electronic mail on [email protected]

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