Indian students planning UK education urged to verify university licences

Indian students planning to study in the UK are being advised to check university sponsor licences before committing funds. Tighter compliance rules, revised assessment thresholds and the revocation of one institution’s licence highlight the importance of verifying current sponsor status.

Hyderabad: With the UK Universities revoking admission offers amid tighter visa norms, Indian students planning to study in the UK have been advised to verify whether or not their chosen university is on the government’s register of licensed student sponsors before accepting the offer.

For such information, students need to check the institution information on the https://www.gov.uk/ register of licensed sponsors (students) before accepting the admission, paying a deposit, and again before applying for a visa. Students can also contact the respective university international office to check their license to sponsor status.

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The UK government has recently begun rejecting visas of foreign students who have an admission offer from a university whose sponsor licence has been suspended. This follows the government’s recent decision to tighten the basic compliance assessment (BCA) requirement for universities. It introduced a new red, amber and green rating system for universities.

For the top green rating, the student visa refusal rate should be below 5 percent, enrolment at 96 per cent, and course completion at 90 per cent. The universities categorised under the green ratings are safe for admission, while amber or red meant a higher risk of foreign students’ recruitment restrictions.

So far, the UK government has revoked the licence of the Bloomsbury Institute, London, to sponsor international students after it failed to meet the BCA requirements. The ratings are expected to appear on the public register only after all universities receive their first assessment, likely in 2027. Until then, applicants have been advised to contact university international offices to check their BCA status.

IMFS Founder KP Singh advised students to build a visa file that is clean and consistent.

“The refusal rate is what the sponsor is measured on. So, a refused student hurts the university as well. This is my advice rather than an official rule. Make sure funds, academic records, English results and the study plan all agree with each other, and avoid inflated or agent-written claims,” he advised the applicants.

In addition to having financial stability, students must have an alternative plan if their university loses its licence while they are still in the UK. In such cases, the visa may be revoked immediately, and the fee and the health surcharge may not be refunded.

Before paying the tuition fee, students have been advised to thoroughly go through refund terms. They have been advised not to buy non-refundable flights or accommodation until the visa is granted and the register has been rechecked.

“Students should keep a second sponsor shortlisted. If a licence is revoked after arrival, the student has 60 days to find a new sponsor, or leave,” said an immigration expert.