Highly Trusted Sponsor Status

Employers and schools who currently apply for sponsor licence under Tiers 2, 4 and 5 are awarded an A rating (which indicates they are fully compliant), or a B rating (which means the UK Border Agency has some concerns and an action plan will be set) or the application is refused.

From 6 April 2010 the UK Border Agency will introduce a 'Highly Trusted Sponsor' status for sponsors of students under Tier 4. Sponsors are able to apply for this status from 22 March 2010.

The application fee for Tier 4 Highly Trusted Sponsor status will be £400 and part of the application process is likely to include a meticulous on-site visit by compliance officers. The sponsor's performance in the previous 12 months will be taken into consideration and reviewed against the following 9 criteria. The UK Border Agency is able to reject the application if just one of the criteria is not satisfied. A sponsor must:

1. Have a minimum of 6 months as an A (trusted) sponsor and be rated as such for all tiers for which a licence is held
2. Have recruitment practices in place to ensure only genuine students are enrolled
3. Not have a civil penalty in the last 3 years and any prior to that must have been paid in full
4. Have practices in place to minimise the number of refusals of leave for migrants applying with a confirmation of acceptance for studies
5. Ensure that potential students are vetted thoroughly before issuing a confirmation of acceptance for studies
6. Take all reasonable steps to ensure that the students they sponsor, once enrolled, will attend and complete their course of study
7. Ensure that no more than 5% of the students sponsored fail to enrol or fail to complete the course
8. Ensure attendance or progression monitoring is completed in accordance with the sponsor duties and/or accreditation requirements; and
9. Not have had any serious concerns raised against it following a UK Border Agency inspection in the previous 12 months.

If the sponsor is granted Highly Trusted Sponsor status it will be granted additional freedoms and offered new services to recognise their previous track record of good compliance. The benefits include:

• The ability to offer a wider range of courses below degree level
• The ability to assign additional confirmation of acceptance for studies to students who have already undertaken two re-sits providing the re-sit has been approved by the sponsor's internal panels and boards
• A more flexible approach to reporting student non-attendance; and
• The allocation of an account manager with the assurance of an annual visit, a dedicated email address and a dedicated contact telephone line.

Highly Trusted Sponsor status will be granted for 12 months and to extend the status the sponsor must reapply. The status can be withdrawn at any time if a sponsor does not continue to meet the criteria.

In the autumn of this year the status will be extended to sponsors under Tiers 2 and 5.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.