Sponsoring students under the points-based system
Sponsorship management system is launched for Tier 4 sponsors
We have implemented phase 3 of Tier 4 of the points-based system, with the start of a voluntary trial period for education providers to use the sponsorship magagement system.
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This quick guide is for United Kingdom education providers who want to teach international students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) under Tier 4 of the points-based system. More detailed information is provided in our Guidance for sponsor applications.
If you want to enrol students from outside the EEA on courses lasting more than six months, you must sponsor those students under Tier 4 of the points-based system.
If you offer short courses of six months or less to overseas students who come to the United Kingdom as 'student visitors' and will not work during their time here, you may not need to be a sponsor - see 'Courses lasting six months or less - student visitors' on the Tier 4 eligibility page.
Key elements of the points-based system
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You must obtain a licence before you can sponsor a student.
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You must comply with your sponsorship duties.
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You must issue a 'visa letter' or 'confirmation of acceptance for studies' to each non-EEA student, so that they can apply for a new visa or extension of their stay.
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You can use the sponsorship management system to issue and pay for each confirmation of acceptance for studies, and to fulfil your reporting duties.
From February 2010 the UK Border Agency will only accept a confirmation of acceptance for studies and will no longer accept a visa letter.
Benefits of the points-based system
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The sponsor licence ensures that all education providers are genuine, and eliminates bogus institutions.
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Sponsors are responsible for assessing whether a student meets the academic requirements for their course.
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The student's visa is linked to the education provider.
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Depending on what they have studied, students who want to stay in the United Kingdom after obtaining their qualification may be able to switch into the Tier 1 (Post-Study Work) category of the points-based system.
Key dates
We are introducing the student route of the points-based system in phases:
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| 31 March 2009 | Start date for Tier 4 applications - all students must now apply under Tier 4 and pass a points-based assessment |
| 5 October 2009 |
Sponsors can begin using the sponsorship management system to issue confirmations of acceptance for studies to students applying from inside the United Kingdom who are:
|
| February 2010 | The sponsorship management system is fully implemented for sponsors to issue confirmations of acceptance for studies to students applying from inside or outside the United Kingdom |
The sponsor licence
To get a sponsor licence, you must:
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be able to show that you are inspected, audited or accredited by one of our approved bodies;
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allocate a number of key roles to staff using the sponsorship management system;
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be able to comply with your sponsorship duties; and
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have the appropriate human resources systems in place to be able to monitor your students' attendance.
If your application is successful, we will give you an A or B rating and add you to the Tier 4 register of sponsors. The B rating is for sponsors who we think could be a risk to immigration control or who do not have all the correct systems in place. They must follow a sponsorship action plan designed to help them become A-rated, or they risk losing their licence.
You can find out more about ratings in How we manage sponsors and ratings.
Sponsorship duties
Your sponsorship duties include duties to:
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maintain any appropriate accreditation;
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keep copies of all students' passports;
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keep up-to-date contact details for students; and
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tell us if a student has any unauthorised absences, fails to enrol on their course or stops their studies.
You will use the sponsorship management system to fulfil your reporting duties when the reporting functionality goes live in late 2009.
Find a full list of all sponsorship duties.
The visa letter or confirmation of acceptance for studies
To bring a non-EEA student to the United Kingdom, you must issue them with a visa letter or from 5 October 2009 you can issue a confirmation of acceptance for studies (which is a unique reference number). You cannot issue these unless you are giving the student an unconditional offer. Each confirmation of acceptance for studies will cost £10. Find out what information the visa letter should contain in the visa letter for general students or visa letter for child students.
The student will need the visa letter or confirmation of acceptance for studies when they apply for a visa to come to or stay in the United Kingdom. If their visa application is successful, their visa will be linked to your institution.
Students can have many visa letters or confirmations of acceptance for studies, if they have applied to more than one education provider. However, they can use only one visa letter or confirmation of acceptance for studies to apply for their visa.
Students need 40 points to qualify for a visa. They will be awarded 30 points for their visa letter or confirmation of acceptance for studies, and must score another 10 points for maintenance (fees and living expenses).
The sponsorship management system
Education providers who are Tier 4 sponsors can currently use the sponsorship management system to update their contact details. From 5 October 2009, they will start using the sponsorship management system to issue confirmations of acceptance for studies and report student activity, before full implementation in February 2010.
Bulk data transfer
Tier 4 sponsors can use bulk data transfer to migrate some key information from their IT systems directly into the sponsorship management system. Our bulk data transfer toolkit provides technical details and answers some frequently asked questions about this function.
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Policy & Law
Related documents
- Tier 4 questions and answers for sponsorsPDF 351KB opens in a new window