Increased scrutiny on sponsorship arrangements

Although the figures cover the entirety of the education sector and so we cannot say with any certainty the extent to which independent schools are affected, we are aware anecdotally that the compliance action is taking place across the education sector, and so schools are certainly not immune from becoming targets. The latest figures show that in the final quarter of 2024, 13 Student sponsors received letters notifying them of UKVI's intention to revoke their licences, with two sponsors being removed from the register permanently. That quarterly total of "intention notices" is the highest since 2016 and brings the total number of notices issued in 2024 to 30, which is almost double the number issued in 2023 and five times the number issued in 2022. While the number of confirmed revocations seems relatively low, it brings the total for 2024 to 11, which is almost three times the number for 2023.

The Home Office's statistics also show that there has been a significant increase in compliance action being taken against Worker and Temporary Worker sponsors since the final quarter of 2023, so it is clear that UKVI are increasing their enforcement efforts against sponsors of all types who fail to comply with their sponsorship duties.

We therefore recommend that schools carry out a thorough review of the systems and processes they have in place to comply with their duties as sponsors, and ensure that all UKVI record keeping and reporting is up to date.

ILPA's Student Sponsors Conference - 27 March 2025

Schools which hold Student sponsor licences may be interested in attending a new conference focussing on Student sponsor compliance. The conference is organised by the Immigration Lawyers Practitioners' Association (ILPA), with Tom Brett Young, VWV Partner and head of the firm's Immigration team, co-chairing. The conference will take place on 27 March 2025, and you can book your tickets to attend either in person or online. The Student Sponsors conference is aimed primarily at sponsors who are independent schools, colleges and pathway providers. The session will focus on below-degree-level study, including those who recruit under-18s on Child Student visas.

In addition to sessions on a range of Student sponsorship compliance issues - including a session on safeguarding international pupils led by Tom and fellow VWV Partner, Kris Robbetts, Jacqueline Amos, Head of Study Services at the UKVI is attending as the conference's Key Note Speaker.

For any questions on these changes or other Child Student sponsorship matters, please contact Tom Brett Young in our Immigration team on 0121 227 3759, or complete the form below.