What Should I do if my College Licence is suspended?

What Should I do if my College Licence is suspended?

College licence suspension means they are suspended from recruiting new students. Existing students will remain with the college as long as the licence is not withdrawn

My analytics shows that the entrant keywords for this web site are closely related to suspended colleges, which in turn reflects that popular demand is to keep a tab on their college’s current status.

During the past this blog had focused more on education policies in UK and immigration regulations in general but In order to cater to the demand based on analytics and popular queries, from now onwards this blog will be focusing more on student immigration matters, college regulations and hot topics such as suspended colleges

Mentioned below are some popular queries raised by students. In order to understand the consequences of college suspension let us see some sample cases

1. Question: I am a student, from India what if my colleges licence is withdrawn, just before i log my application to the VFS

Answer: If your approved education provider’s licence is withdrawn, your visa letter (CAS – Confirmation of acceptance of study) will become invalid and you will not be able to use it to support any application for

leave to come to the United Kingdom. Any applications made using an invalid CAS will be refused.


2. Question: I am a student at BITE, My college licence is suspended what I should do ?

Answer: Your query does not mention when your leave to remain (LTR) ends, Hovwer with the limited information I assume you have enough LTR

Refer my latest post on Suspended Colleges in UK 2011, as to how to find out whether your college’s licence is re instated or not

In short you need not do anything, Wait and hope that they will be back sooner..!

3. Question: Hello i am doing my MBA and i am left with my dissertation which i need to submit on august 12 2011 however my college is in suspension and my visa is going to get expire on 31july 2011, what do i do? do i have extend my visa from some other college or can apply from the same college which is suspension. since i had spoken in my college with regards to my extension they says, they won’t be able to provide CAS letter until college return to tier4 sponsor list, so kindly advice me what should i do. can i take conditional letter from college and apply for the visa

Answer: If your suspended college cannot issue a new CAS (to make possible you to renew your visa) you have to find another college! And apply for a fresh visa

4. Question: My College is not in operation, initially the licence was suspended and recently they have closed down the college 

Answer: It looks like your college licence was suspended and consequently withdrawn by UKBA. They will limit your permission to stay to 60 days if you were not involved in the reasons why your college had their licence withdrawn

(UKBA will not limit your permission to stay if you have less than six months left. You may want to apply for permission to stay with another approved education provider during this time)

This post will be continually updated with popular queries from you, you can check out frequently to find out further insight here

Feel free to comment on the dire consequences you faced due to the suspension of your colleges sponsor status

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Suspended Colleges in UK 2011

Suspended Colleges in UK 2011

Due to the popular request of users of this blog and unavailability of full list of suspended colleges in London or UK", I felt I should clarify the matter for our regular readers/visitors,

UKBA does not publish details of colleges whose Tier 4 sponsor license has been revoked or suspended. There is no site which updates list of all the names of suspended colleges in UK daily,

Now let us see how to find out the current list of suspended colleges in UK, by our self

The list of Register of Sponsors (Tier 4 General & Child) or Popularly known as Tier 4 List of Sponsor Colleges is regularly updated by the UKBA, You can access current list here1, compare the current list with the list provided here2, for any selected college you can see its current status by comparing these two lists

If the selected college is not in both lists then its licence is either withdrawn or suspended (Hope this answers your popular query)

If you could locate your college, then it will be of one of this category: License Upgraded or License Downgraded, or no changes at all.... in which ever situation you need not worry much, even if your college is downgraded since downgrading is a temporary measure and mostly it is upgraded back again

Tip: Use ctrl+F short cut key to locate/search your college name in the pdf

Feel free to comment on any discrepancies or suggestions/comments on the dire consequences you faced due to the suspension of your colleges sponsor status

New Policy Update - Student Visa Process, Next set of changes from 4th July 2011.

The next set of changes to the Immigration Rules affecting Tier 4 - the student tier - of the points-based system has been laid in Parliament today. The changes will come into effect on 4 July 2011.

The aim of the revised Immigration Rules is to deliver a strong migration system which tackles immigration abuse, while allowing genuine students to study at genuine colleges.


From 4 July UKBA will:

• Restrict work entitlements to migrants studying at higher educational institutions (HEIs) and publicly funded further education colleges only;
• Restrict the sponsorship of dependants to those studying at postgraduate level at HEIs on courses lasting at least 12 months, and government-sponsored students on courses lasting at least 6 months;
• Require education providers to vouch that a new course represents genuine academic progression;
• Ensure that maintenance funds are genuinely available to the applicant, by introducing a declaration on the visa application form;
• Commit to publish a list of financial institutions, on the basis of experience, which do not verify financial statements in more than 50 per cent of a sample of cases;
• Introduce a streamlined application process for low-risk nationals applying to attend courses with Highly Trusted Sponsors;
• Extend the list of courses for which students must receive ATAS clearance;
• Restrict the ability to deliver accountancy courses accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) to those sponsors accorded platinum or gold status by ACCA; and
• Clarify the position of overseas universities with campuses in the UK.

Click here for more...

New Policy Update –Final Draft Policy, Tighter Regulations for UK student visa

The much awaited and long anticipated changes in the Student Visa Policy was announced yesterday by the Home Secretary Theresa May, who said student visas were being abused and "too many were here to work and not to study"

According to UKBA, New Student Visa Policy in Summary, To be in effect from the First Week of April , 2011,The main changes are as follows:

§ From April 2012, any institution wanting to sponsor students will need to be classed as a Highly Trusted sponsor, and will need to become accredited by a statutory education inspection body by the end of 2012. The current system does not require this, and has allowed too many poor-quality colleges to become sponsors.

§ Students coming to study at degree level will need to speak English at an 'upper intermediate' (B2) level, rather than the current 'lower intermediate' (B1) requirement.

§ UK Border Agency staff will be able to refuse entry to students who cannot speak English without an interpreter, and who therefore clearly do not meet the minimum standard.

§ Students at universities and publicly funded further education colleges will retain their current work rights, but all other students will have no right to work. We will place restrictions on work placements in courses outside universities.

§ Only postgraduate students at universities and government-sponsored students will be able to bring their dependants. At the moment, all students on longer courses can bring their dependants.

§ We will limit the overall time that can be spent on a student visa to 3 years at lower levels (as it is now) and 5 years at higher levels. At present, there is no time limit for study at or above degree level.

§ We will close the Tier 1 (Post-study work) route, which allows students 2 years to seek employment after their course ends. Only graduates who have an offer of a skilled job from a sponsoring employer under Tier 2 of the points-based system will be able to stay to work.

You can read New Student Visa Policy Summary in detail here or download

In my opinion the privately funded education industry in Britain is being marginalized and heavily regulated, with NO level playing ground ever offered on par with state funded Universities and publicly funded FE Colleges,

Rushdy Razak

New Policy Update – Student Visa Process

Tougher rules for non-EU students, New Student Visa Policy Updates and PSW Closure…
The official consultation period on the student visa route closed by 31st Jan, 2011.

Yesterday, Damian Green, the Immigration minister, said "It seems to me that to allow unfettered access to the jobs market for two years to anyone with a student visa from abroad is putting an unnecessary extra strain on our own graduates," – This implies limiting post-study work at a time when graduate unemployment is at its peak for 17 years.

According to the Yesterday’s Interview with BBC Immigration Minister Damian Green has announced a review of every route used to gain the right to live and work indefinitely in the UK. access the Interview Video with BBC here

In a speech for a Think Tank Organization, yesterday, He was targeting the private FE sector offering below degree level courses, in which 613 private colleges were rated less than "highly trusted" by the UK Border Agency. The sector brought in 91,000 students last year, he said.
He cited cases including that of a college that had two lecturers for 940 students, amid all this railway time-table announcements of new student policy updates, many UK Colleges wary on new Visa Rules, Click Here to read the FT Analysis

As the official consultation ended up on newly announced student visa policy Expect further detailed procedures and guidelines in the coming days; it is to be finally announced means It is to be implemented by first week of April, 2011

We also expect, not wish - Revamp of settlement rights which means thousands of migrants are to lose the right to live in the UK permanently


Rushdy Razak

UK Immigration and Nationality Policy Handbook Volume 1 Strategic Information and Basic Regulations

New Policy Update - Student Visa Process

New Policy Update in Summery 

1. Raising the level of courses students can study, with only Highly Trusted Sponsors able to offer courses to adult students below degree level.
2. introducing a tougher English language requirement;(competence at intermediary level B2)
3. ensuring students wishing to extend their studies show evidence of academic progression;
4. limiting students' entitlements to work and their ability to bring in dependants; and
5. improving the accreditation process for education providers, alongside more rigorous inspections.

Further today's new policy drive is to ensure students return overseas after their course finishes will mean students will have to leave the UK and apply for a new visa to further their studies, and show evidence of progression to a higher course. It will also see the closure of the post-study route under Tier 1.

The consultation will run for 8 weeks until 31st January. This is shorter than a standard 12 week consultation so that the policy can be announced in advance of the next academic year.

Rushdy Razak,
Extract from UKBA, 7th Dec, 2010, 3.30PM(GMT)

New versions of forms and guidance for points-based system applicants

Last week New versions of the following application forms were published:

• Tier 1 (General) form
• Tier 1 (Post-study Work) form
• Tier 2 form
• Tier 4 (General) form
• Tier 4 (Child) form
• PBS Dependant form

Click here for further details

Tier 4 college suspensions – which students are affected?

Who is affected when a college Tier 4 licence is suspended?  

Students on Tier 4 visas 

What the UK Border Agency says: 

‘Before you travel to the UK. If you have a visa letter that you got before your approved education provider’s license was suspended, and have already been granted permission to enter the United Kingdom, but you have not yet travelled, we will try and contact you to tell you not to come until we have resolved the suspension. 

‘If you are already in the United Kingdom and studying with your approved education provider, we will not tell you if we suspend their licence. However, if the result of the suspension is that your approved education provider loses their licence, we will tell you and your permission to stay will be limited.’  

Who is affected when a college Tier 4 licence is withdrawn? 

Students on Tier 4 visas 

What the UK Border Agency says: 

‘We will limit your permission to stay to 60 days if you were not involved in the reasons why your approved education provider had their licence withdrawn (we will not limit your permission to stay if you have less than six months left. You may want to apply for permission to stay with another approved education provider during this time) immediately if we think you were involved in the reasons why your sponsor’s licence was withdrawn.’ 

Which students will not be affected? 

Students on old student visas 

Students holding older student visas (not Tier 4), who are not holding a ‘Tier 4 visa letter’, and are not approved under Tier 4 of the points based system will not be directly affected if their college is suspended from or removed from the Tier 4 Sponsors Register. 

Prior to the introduction of Tier 4 in March 2009 colleges were approved under the old DIUS system and students applied for the old student visa. 

Check your student visa stamp to see if it states that your visa was issued under Tier 4.

Tier 4 visas are issued to those who applied for their visas, or applied for further leave to remain as a student, after 31 March 2009.

The UK Border Agency has published the following useful guide: 

Tier 4 licence suspended

Licence suspended	What will happen
Before you apply to come	You can still apply for permission to come to the United Kingdom but we will hold your application until the suspension is resolved.
Before you travel to the United Kingdom	If you have a visa letter that you got before your approved education provider’s license was suspended, and have already been granted permission to enter the United Kingdom, but you have not yet travelled, we will try and contact you to tell you not to come until we have resolved the suspension.
If you do travel to the United Kingdom	If you do travel to the United Kingdom, you will be allowed to enter and start studying with your approved education provider.
If you are already in the United Kingdom studying	If you are already in the United Kingdom and studying with your approved education provider, we will not tell you if we suspend their licence. However, if the result of the suspension is that your approved education provider loses their licence, we will tell you and your permission to stay will be limited.
If you are extending your stay	You can still apply to extend your permission to stay if it runs out when your approved education provider’s licence is suspended, as long as you already have your visa letter. However, we will hold your application until the suspension is resolved.

Tier 4 licence is withdrawn

Licence withdrawn	What will happen
Before you apply to come	If your approved education provider’s licence is withdrawn, your visa letter will become invalid and you will not be able to use it to support any application for leave to come to the United Kingdom. Any applications made using an invalid visa letter will be refused.
Before you travel to the United Kingdom	If you have been given permission to come but have not travelled yet, your permission to come is cancelled. If you travel to the United Kingdom, you will not be allowed to enter.
If you are already in the United Kingdom studying	We will limit your permission to stay to 60 days if you were not involved in the reasons why your approved education provider had their licence withdrawn (we will not limit your permission to stay if you have less than six months left. You may want to apply for permission to stay with another approved education provider during this time) immediately if we think you were involved in the reasons why your sponsor’s licence was withdrawn.

Source: UK Border Agency

Source: Immigration Matters
Information on UK Entry Clearance and Visa Applications: Bk. 1 (Family)