Which private colleges have had their licence suspended or revoked on and after 24 June 2014?

Which private colleges have had their licence suspended or revoked on and after 24 June 2014?

 

 Home Office immigration action against education institutions: factsheet

 

Sponsor suspensions June 2014

 

Universities and colleges that wish to recruit students from outside the European Economic Area under Tier 4 of the immigration Points Based System must hold a Tier 4 sponsor licence.

 

The Home Office has a responsibility to take immediate action where we have reason to believe that a sponsor is no longer fulfilling its obligations. Education providers have a duty to take their immigration responsibilities seriously.

 

On 24 June 2014, the Home Office took action against three universities:

 

• Glyndwr University (Tier 4 licence suspended);
• University of West London (assigned zero Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies i.e. unable to sponsor new students); and
• University of Bedfordshire (assigned zero Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies i.e. unable to sponsor new students).

 

In addition, the Home Office suspended the Tier 4 sponsor licences of 57 private colleges. The vast majority of Tier 4 sponsors and international students were not affected by this action.

 

Update:

 

The Home Office reinstated the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) allocation for the University of Bedfordshire on 5 August 2014 and University of West London on 3 September 2014. We have worked closely with these universities to improve their standards for recruiting international students and will continue to work with them to ensure these standards are maintained.

 

The Home Office reinstated the sponsor licence of Glyndwr University on 21 November 2014 on a limited basis, until a further review in January 2015. The reinstatement is subject to strict conditions, including limited CAS solely for their Wrexham campus, ensuring strict controls over the residual cohort at its London campus and that the University ensures the Elephant and Castle site is closed by the summer of 2015.

 

The Home Office has revoked the Tier 4 sponsor licences of a number of private colleges (listed below).

Q&A

 

What support is available for students at an institution that has surrendered its licence or had its licence revoked?

 

The Home Office set up a sponsorship working group with representatives from the education sector, to discuss how the sector can support students about whom we have not been notified by ETS of a withdrawn English language test certificate. The Home Office informed the group of any new developments, while other working group members reported any issues affecting students.

 

The members of the sponsorship working group are listed below:

 

1. Association of Colleges (AoC)

2. Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS)

3. British Council (BC)

4. English UK

5. Guild HE

6. Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)

7. Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW)

8. Million+

9. National Union of Students (NUS)

10. Russell Group

11. Scottish Funding Council

12. Study UK

13. UCAS

14. UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA)

15. Universities UK (UUK)

16. University Alliance

17. Welsh Assembly Government

 

The working group has developed an online Course Information Tool (CIT) to help students about whom we have not been notified by ETS of a withdrawn English language test certificate and who were studying at the institutions listed below, to find an alternative sponsor. The CIT contains details of courses that licensed Tier 4 sponsors are offering to students who wish to find a new sponsor, in order to continue their studies in the UK.

 

When can students whose sponsor’s licence has been revoked take action to find a new sponsor?

 

Students can choose to use the CIT or to find a new sponsor by other means.

 

The CIT is has been available for use since November 2014 and the Home Office has written to students that are being assisted as part of the working group process, with details of how to access the tool.

The CIT will continue to be available until 23 March 2015. Students that have access to the CIT should ensure that they note anything of interest from the CIT before its closure.

 

Students may wish to refer to the sponsor register on the GOV.UK website which has up to date details of all fully licensed and active Tier 4 sponsors.

 

Students who have been studying at an institution that has surrendered its licence or had its licence revoked, do not need a curtailment letter from the Home Office in order to find a new sponsor. Sponsors wishing to offer a course place to such a student do not need to see a curtailment letter before they issue a CAS.

 

What action is the Home Office taking in relation to these students’ leave to remain in the UK?

 

The Home Office has written to students being assisted by the working group to tell them that their leave to remain in the UK is being curtailed. In most cases, leave has been curtailed to 60 days from the date of the letter, to give them time to find a new sponsor and apply to the Home Office to extend their leave.

 

The Home Office has delayed taking this action, to give students being assisted by the working group the opportunity to apply for courses starting in the New Year.

 

Students must inform the Home Office if they change their address, to ensure that their details are up to date. If a student wishes to inform the Home Office of a change in their personal details they should complete the migrant change of circumstances form.

 

Students who have travelled overseas since the revocation/surrender of their sponsor’s licence must apply for a new visa if they wish to return to the UK. If they attempt to enter the UK without obtaining a new visa, they will be refused entry.

 

Can the Home Office help students in relation to tuition fees?

 

The Home Office cannot assist students seeking a refund of any educational fees. Students should discuss any such issues directly with the institution involved. If an individual feels that they have been the victim of financial fraud, then they should contact the Police or seek legal advice.

 

Which students can use the Course Information Tool?

 

Students about whom we have not been notified by ETS of a withdrawn English language test certificate, from the following list of institutions can use the CIT, upon receiving a letter from the Home Office with their log-in details:

 

1. Alpha College – Revoked

2. Alpha Meridian College – Revoked

3. APS Computer Solutions Ltd Trading As Pitman Training Centre Peterborough – Revoked

4. Birmingham Informatics College Ltd – Revoked

5. Birmingham Institute of Education Training and Technology – Revoked

6. Blake Hall College – Revoked

7. Bradford College of Management – Surrendered

8. Bradford Metropolitan College – Revoked

9. Bradford Regional College – Revoked

10. Bristol College of Accountancy – Revoked

11. Britain College – Surrendered

12. CAHRO Academy Ltd – Revoked

13. Central College London (a division of Huawen Institute) – Revoked

14. Central College of Studies (CCS) – Revoked

15. Central Cranbrook College – Revoked

16. Citizen 2000 Education Institute – Revoked

17. City College Nottingham – Revoked

18. City of London Academy – Revoked

19. College of Advanced Studies – Revoked

20. College of East London – Revoked

21. College of Excellence Limited – Revoked

22. Docklands College – Revoked

23. Empress College – Surrendered

24. Essex College Ltd – Revoked

25. Eynsford College – Revoked

26. Forbes Graduate School – Revoked

27. Hammersmith Management College – Revoked

28. Helios International College – Revoked

29. IIM Bedford – Revoked

30. Interlink College of Technology and Business Studies – Revoked

31. Katherine and King's College of London – Revoked

32. Kinnaird College – Revoked

33. LIT LON Ltd – Revoked

34. London Academy of Management and Business (LAMB) – Surrendered

35. London Churchill College – Surrendered

36. London College of Finance and Accounting – Revoked

37. London College of Business Management and Computing Studies – Surrendered

38. London Corporate College – Revoked

39. London Educators Limited – Revoked

40. London Empire Academy – Surrendered

41. London Metropolitan College – Revoked

42. London Premier College Limited – Revoked

43. London Regal College – Revoked

44. London School of Advanced Studies – Revoked

45. London School of Marketing Trading As LS Business School – Revoked

46. London School of Technology – Revoked

47. London St. Andrew's College – Revoked

48. Manchester College of Management Sciences Limited – Revoked

49. Manchester International College – Revoked

50. Manchester Trinity College Limited – Revoked

51. Midlands Academy of Business and Technology – Revoked

52. North West College Reading – Revoked

53. Pharez UK Ltd Trading As Pharez College – Revoked

54. Queensbury College – Revoked

55. Radcliffe College – Revoked

56. Sanjari International College – Revoked

57. Shakespeare College – Revoked

58. Stanfords College UK Limited – Revoked

59. South London College – Revoked

60. Superior College London – Revoked

61. UK Business Academy – Revoked

62. UK Vocational Training College Trading As UK College of Arts and Technology – Revoked

63. Vernon Community College – Revoked

64. West George College – Revoked

65. West London Business College Ltd – Revoked

 

This list is correct as of 6 February 2015.

 

Students at an institution other than those listed above should refer to the sponsor register on the GOV.UK website if they wish to find an alternative sponsor.

 

Who can students contact for advice?

 

Students at one of the institutions listed above, who are concerned about how this affects them can contact the Home Office on 0114 207 1688 between 9:00am and 5:00pm, Monday to Friday and 9:00am to 1:00pm on Saturday.

 

Please note that from 11 February 2015 this phone line will be available between 10:00am and 2:00pm, Monday to Friday only. From 02 March 2015 this phone line will close. Students should then use the normal route for contacting the Home Office as detailed on the GOV.UK website.

 

Date factsheet updated: 6 February 2015. This factsheet will be updated as required, until 02 March 2015 when it will no longer be available.