How do I sponsor a migrant?
Switching to a different sponsor
This page explains what you should do if you are sponsoring a student who wants to switch to a different sponsor, or if a student who is sponsored by someone else wants to switch to a course at your institution.
Switching if the student made their current Tier 4 application on or after 5 October 2009
If a student wants to switch to a new Tier 4 sponsor and their current permission to enter or stay in the United Kingdom is based on an application made on or after 5 October 2009, they must make a new application for permission to stay under Tier 4. This application will need to be supported by a confirmation of acceptance for studies from their new sponsor.
The student must not start their new course until we have approved their new application. They can leave their original sponsor before we have decided their new application, but this will be at their own risk - if we refuse their new application, they may not be able to return to the course with their original sponsor.
Switching if the student made their current Tier 4 application before 5 October 2009
If a student wants to switch to a new Tier 4 sponsor and their current permission to enter or stay in the United Kingdom is based on an application made before 5 October 2009, they must obtain our permission to switch.
The student (or their parent or guardian, in the case of a child student) must email MigrantReporting@ukba.gsi.gov.uk to ask us for permission. The email message must include details of the proposed change, including:
- the new sponsor's name, address and contact details; and
- details of the new course, including the start and end date.
We will send an acknowledgement to confirm that we have received the request.
We will give permission for the migrant to change sponsors if we can confirm that:
- the institution that they want to switch to is licensed by us under the relevant Tier 4 category;
- that institution wants to be the migrant's new sponsor; and
- the new course meets the requirements set out in this guidance.
Once the migrant has emailed us about a change of sponsor and has received an acknowledgement, they can begin their new course without waiting for our permission - but this will be at their own risk, as we may refuse to grant this permission.
If a migrant does not ask us for permission before switching to a new institution, we may curtail their permission to be in the UK as a Tier 4 student.
If the migrant's existing permission to stay as a Tier 4 student will expire before the course with the new sponsor finishes, the migrant must apply to us to extend their permission to stay. They can choose to apply immediately, or they can wait until shortly before their existing permission expires.
If the new course is shorter than the original one, the migrant must tell us immediately.
Timing of a change of sponsorship
If the migrant is changing sponsor in order to take up a new course after their current course has finished, the new sponsor will be responsible for them as soon as we have granted them further permission to stay.
(For example, a migrant who is due to finish a course with Sponsor A on 30 September 2010 may want to start a new course with Sponsor B on 20 October 2010. If they apply to extend their permission to stay in April 2010 and we grant this permission from 31 May 2010, Sponsor B will take over responsibility for them from that date, even though they are still studying with Sponsor A.)
Sponsors may want to make sure that migrants do not apply to extend their permission too early, as this could mean that they are being sponsored by another education provider while they are still part-way through a course with their original provider.