U.K. student visa alert

...student sponsorship licence of 60 institutions suspended




The UK Home Office has suspended the Highly Trusted Sponsor (HTS) status of 57 private Further Education Colleges (FECs), whilst three other universities have had limitations placed on their licence to recruit, sponsor and provide education services to international students in the United Kingdom.





In a statement delivered in the House of Commons on 24th June, 2014, the UK Minister for Immigration and Security, James Brokenshire, MP, announced that the decision to revoke the HTS licenses of the 57 FECs and suspend that of the universities had been taken following the uncovering of systematic cheating in English language tests and widespread abuse of immigration rules in the affected institutions.





The Minister, in his statement, described how a “detailed and wide-ranging” investigation by Immigration Enforcement officers uncovered more than 29,000 invalid and 19,000 questionable results of English language proficiency tests by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in 2012 and 2013 and other breeches of student immigration rules by the institutions whose HTS status have consequently been suspended.





English language proficiency is required as part of the processes for determining the 'legitimacy' of international student applications prior to the granting of student visas to the UK. Per UK immigration rules, prospective international students are required to demonstrate, in addition to other conditions, that they are proficient in the English language at a level adequate enough to ensure meaningful engagement in the tasks and requirements of further education pursuit in the U.K. Ghana is considered a ‘majority English language speaking’ country, and for most students from Ghana this requirement may be waivered. However, different universities may apply different language proficiency standards which will require additional tests, such as provided by ETS in order to satisfy the ‘language proficiency’ requirement prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) by respective Highly Trusted Sponsor educational institutions.





The possession of a CAS, issued by an HTS licensed institution, is a mandatory requirement for student visa application processes. The issuance of a CAS, which is normally 'priced' at 60% of academic year tuition fees, requires an upfront payment, on average, of $7,000 per student admission application. The revocation and/or suspension of the HTS licenses of the 57 FECs and three universities means that these institutions can no longer sponsor students to the U.K. and any CAS that they have issued or will be issuing to prospective international students will not be recognized by the British High Commission in Ghana and the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) agency for student visa purposes.


The general public, and in particular prospective students to the UK, are advised to check the HTS status of their intended institutions of study prior to the initiation of admission applications and payment of the required CAS fees. Under no circumstances should prospective students pay up the fees required for the issuance of CAS to any of the educational institutions on the HTS 'suspension' list provided below. The general public may visit the UKVI website on www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration for general information on UK student visa requirements and other study guidelines. Where in doubt, prospective students to the UK may contact the Education Section of the Ghana High Commission, London on + 44 (0) 208 342 7534 or via electronic mail on education@ghc-uk.org





Source: Information and Public Affairs Section


Ghana High Commission


13 Belgrave Square London


SW1X 8PN


Tel. + 44 (0) 201 207 5924


Email: information@ghanahighcommission.com


Source: Zuwera Ibrahimah





LIST OF COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES SUSPENDED BY THE UK HOME OFFICE


A. UNIVERSITIES


1. Glyndwr University


2. University of West London (barred)


3. University of Bedfordshire (barred)


B. PRIVATE COLLEGES


1. Alpha College


2. Alpha Meridian College


3. APS Computer Solutions TA Pitman Training Centre


4. Birmingham Institute of Education Training and Technology


5. Blake Hall College


6. Bloomsbury International UK


7. Bradford College of Management


8. Bradford Metropolitan College


9. Bristol College of Accountancy


10. Britain College


11. Central College London


12. Central College of Studies


13. Central Cranbrook College


14. Citizen 2000 Education Institute


15. City of London Academy


16. College of Advanced Studies


17. College of East London


18. College of Excellence


19. Cranford College


20. Essex College


21. Eynsford College


22. FBT (Finance Business Training)


23. Forbes Graduate School


24. Hammersmith Management College


25. Helios International College


26. IIM Bedford


27. Interlink College of Technology & Business Studies


28. Katherine & Kings College of London


29. Kinnaird College


30. LIT LON Ltd


31. London Academy of Management and Business


32. London College of Business Management and Computing Studies


33. London College of Finance and Accounting


34. London Corporate College


35. London Educators Ltd


36. London Premier College


37. London Regal College


38. London School of Advanced Studies


39. London School of Marketing t/a LS Business School


40. London School of Technology


41. London St Andrews College


42. LSBF (London School of Business and Finance)


43. Manchester College of Management Sciences


44. Manchester International College (International Learning Centre)


45. Manchester Trinity


46. Midlands Academy of Business and Technology


47. North West College Reading


48. Queensbury College


49. Shakespeare College


50. South London College


51. Stanfords College UK Ltd


52. Studio Cambridge


53. Superior College London


54. UK Business Academy


55. UK Vocational Training College t/a UK CAT


56. West George College


57. West London Business College