Overseas Student Visa Workshop for Universities & Colleges
A comprehensive overview of the overseas student application process for admissions teams, student recruiters and line managers
Time: 0900 - 1300
Price: £250 + VAT per attendee
Date: Tuesday, 6th June '23 - Register here
Overseas students are a crucial part of academic communities, and the rate and scope of recent visa changes have caused some confusion. Getting the application process wrong could mean a license suspension or invalidation with disastrous consequences to overseas student recruitment, irreparable reputational damage and significant financial loss.
The HEAT team (Higher Education Assurance Team) which was the team within the Home Office that carried out University inspections, has been renamed the Sponsor Visiting team and has grown significantly. The expectation is that they will be carrying out more inspections, taking a tougher stance and more enforcement action, making it vitally important that institutions comply with Student sponsor obligations.
Is your institution meeting the latest Home Office requirements?
This half-day programme will ensure your institution is not only meeting Home Office requirements, but handling the student experience successfully, protecting the institution from potential threats from fraudulent applicants with fake diplomas or fake ID documents. Enabling admissions teams, student recruiters and line managers to get to grips with the complex legal, policy and compliance requirements of the non-EU student visa process.
Delegates will leave with the latest updates and knowledge of policy and compliance requirements and a detailed awareness of the process, from recruitment to application, enrolment, document checking, monitoring, reporting to the Home Office and managing a license.
Our expert trainer will bring a wealth of experience with lessons learnt from practical examples of real-life case studies and take-home document checklist to ensure full preparedness for a Home Office audit.
Attendees will have the chance to ask specific questions at built in Q&A sessions throughout the course and have the opportunity to network with industry peers facing similar challenges.
ONLINE TRAINING COURSE PLATFORM
Zoom - An encrypted zoom platform with password access. Click here for further information and to test access
Prefer to run this course In-house?
We offer this course as a face-to-face or online In-house training option – a cost effective training solution for teams, if this would be more suitable, please email catherine.ouston@bfi.co.uk.
Which functions will benefit from attending
- Directors, Senior Managers, Overseas Student Recruitment Officers, College & University Administrators, Equal Opportunities Officers, Equality, Diversity, Immigration Advisers, Employee Relations Advisers, HR, Legal Advisers, Compliance and Audit, Student Affairs & Welfare Bodies, Training Managers, Organisational Development Professionals, Public Sector Employers, Local Government.
Hear from
Schedule
Welcome, housekeeping, aims & objectives for the day
Guy Otty
Managing Director , Business Forums International Ltd. (BFI)
Following a successful career in media sales and financial recruitment, Guy started Business Forums International Ltd. over 25 years ago with his co-director Elizabeth Smith. Drawing on his extensive international experience in headhunting and senior recruitment, he is enviably placed to predict and respond to key HR challenges, from the 2006 pandemic to Brexit and beyond. Under his leadership, the company has become a leading HR and business management conference and training company looking to address the latest issues and concerns facing organisations.
A chance to revisit your reasons for attending the course, meet fellow delegates and establish and agree learning objectives
What are the key changes in international student immigration regulation?
Francesca Smith
Senior Associate , Eversheds Sutherland
Francesca Smith is a Senior Associate at Eversheds Sutherland LLP specialising in all aspects of immigration law. Her experience includes advising on sponsor licence and compliance issues relating to all routes under the Points Based System as well as the Visitor, Global Talent and Graduate routes and all right to work matters. Francesca has undertaken a large number of internal mock compliance audits on behalf of clients in preparation for Home Office inspections and has been in attendance at numerous Home Office inspections to provide ongoing advice and support. Such support includes reviewing online systems and key compliance policies relating to both staff and student immigration, making recommendations to become a ‘best practice’ sponsor, identifying and mitigating against risks and checking sponsor licence structure, Key Personnel, SMS reporting and record keeping in accordance with Appendix D requirements. Francesca has significant experience in drafting representations to the Home Office against action plans and licence revocations and acted for a client on an interim relief application and judicial review proceedings in the High Court of Justice. Francesca regularly provides an outsource service for education institutions assisting with student visa applications and supporting documentation. Francesca also advises on complex restructures involving setting up new sites and teaching partnerships, offering commercial and pragmatic advice whilst ensuring all measures adhere to UKVI guidance. Francesca also regularly provides training on all sponsor compliance obligations under the Student, Skilled Worker and Government Authorised Exchange (Temporary work) routes, with a particular focus on how to interpret the sponsor guidance based on practical experience. Francesca has assisted with undertaking sample attendance monitoring reviews for sponsored students and providing feedback on risks and recommendations to ensure ongoing compliance with the Student sponsor guidance.
- Key factors in forecasting ahead: balancing security with opportunities for international collaboration
- Understanding the forces driving change and what institutions need to prepare for in future
- Cases of abuse and key action by parent universities
- Key changes in Student Visa (Tier 4) compliance and sponsorship rules
- The duties of highly-trusted sponsor status and role of UKVI and Immigration Enforcement officer
Comfort break
Checklist: Better compliance and understanding of the law for overseas student sponsors?
- Key changes in regulations and what do these mean for sponsors and stakeholders
- Applying for or renewing a Student Visa (Tier 4) sponsor licence
- The factors and obligations around highly trusted sponsor status
- Sponsor duties and recruitment duties: CAS requests and annual requirements
- Home office offences and civil penalties
- Fees and ‘premium customer services’: what does this mean in reality
- Illegal entrants and immigration offences
Comfort break
Managing the process and practice
- Audits: preparing for an inspection: key areas to examine
- How to manage a suspension or revoking of your Student Visa (tier 4) license
- How does the UKVI work and what is the process of suspension and full revoking of licenses
- Understanding where you went wrong
- Working with key individuals externally and internally to quickly rectify the reasons for suspension
- Planning ahead to manage risks and assess potential fraudulent or risky applications before awarding CAS
- When to get legal support and how to manage the appeal process
Comfort break
The student application journey: making it seamless and more positive
- Balancing the need for students and income with brand, status and being a trusted Tier 4 sponsor
- Examining your current admissions processes: How can technology and different models improve efficiency
- Student communication from start to finish: making the experience better
- Remote and digital communication and documentation
- When not to sponsor
Final wrap up
End of workshop
Contact us to book or discuss our events & services
01983 861133
info@bfi.co.uk