Short Term Student Visa Workshop October 2015

Objectives of the day To give delegates a full understanding of the STSV To develop a full understanding of the potential issues which might prevent a student obtaining a visa To develop a model advice and offer letter to minimise the likelihood of a visa refusal

Content Who is the STSV for? What can students to with the STSV What can’t students do? The do’s and don'ts of STSV’s Developing a curriculum model Developing a model offer letter Developing an advice pack for students Established when Margaret Thatchers gov. pulled out of independent FE & HE oversight BAC Established to oversee independent FE/HE Badly affected by 2012 Tier 4 changes ENQA = European Association for QA in Higher Education EQAR = European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education

Who is the STSV for? Student doing a short course in the UK This means six months or less Designed for student from outside of the European economic area Students can do any course in the six month period You can do research if its part of a overseas degree programme Two types of Short Term Study Visa 200+ institutions in the UK

Short Term Study Visa (18+) Students must be 18 or older Students must prove: They have been offered a place on a course in the UK at an accepted place of study They have sufficient funds to support themselves without working or help from public funds OR that relatives or friends can support and house the student They can pay their return journey Currently we have 30+ IHEI with more in the pipeline 90% of overseas HEI’s have partnership agreements with UK HEI’s We have provided consultancy services to 4 gov. Most recently Bahrain where we have developed an accreditation framework for all Bahrain HEI, including public uni’s, and will be carrying out inspections on behalf of the Bahraini Higher Education Council. The first pilot will take place before Christmas 2015.

Where students can study At any Tier 4 education provider At any organisation accredited by BAC or a similar body PaQA will often be seen as the QA role of UK partner and in my view should be – students will be gaining the institutions degrees – this normally means content and marking procedures IAQA – who does this? How do you know who teaches on the programme, students are protected, Without transparency there can be no accountability. The real risk of reputational risk and damage to stakeholders interests

What students can’t do Switch into any other form of immigration category whilst in the UK If a student wishes to continue study they must leaver the country and reapply Cannot do any kind of work Do any work placement Carry out any work experience UK institutions – why do UK hei’s want to have overseas partnerships? I would propose that the real trend is income driven Most IHEI’s are private – majority are for profit organisations Students believe they are buying quality, trustworthy education Governments are increasingly drawn into oversight of the independent HEI sector Do UK institutions have a responsibility to local organisations? If they start to lose students to IHEI’s there will certainly be a political reaction What about the UK brand – we damage the UK brand at our peril

Proof of study documents Letter of acceptance from the educational institution This must be letter headed paper The letter must include: The name of the course The duration of the course Cost – if accommodation is included this must be noted The UK QA experience is not understood elsewhere nor is it necessarily appropriate We need to recognise that although a common framework for QA is desirable it must be put into a local context. Above all QA is a journey it is not a snapshot which is taken once and then forgotten Who will pay? Who is able to pay? QA needs to become part of the day to day life of an HEI if it is going to have any meaningful long term impact We must recognise that QA affects all stakeholders. It is not just about the risk management systems of UK institutions.

The documents students must provide when applying for their visa A current passport One passport sized colour photograph Evidence that they can support themselves during their stay e.g. bank statements for the last three months Details of where you intend to stay and your travel plans Any documents that aren’t in English must be translated and certified If they are coming for research or part of their overseas degree program then they will need to bring proof of study The UK QA experience is not understood elsewhere nor is it necessarily appropriate We need to recognise that although a common framework for QA is desirable it must be put into a local context. Above all QA is a journey it is not a snapshot which is taken once and then forgotten Who will pay? Who is able to pay? QA needs to become part of the day to day life of an HEI if it is going to have any meaningful long term impact We must recognise that QA affects all stakeholders. It is not just about the risk management systems of UK institutions.

When to apply for the visa Visas can be applied for three months in advance Student should check in their own country for the length of time it will take to issue a visa Students can state the start date for the visa The six month visa starts from the date that its valid NOT from the date of entry into the UK The UK QA experience is not understood elsewhere nor is it necessarily appropriate We need to recognise that although a common framework for QA is desirable it must be put into a local context. Above all QA is a journey it is not a snapshot which is taken once and then forgotten Who will pay? Who is able to pay? QA needs to become part of the day to day life of an HEI if it is going to have any meaningful long term impact We must recognise that QA affects all stakeholders. It is not just about the risk management systems of UK institutions.

Short Term Study Visa (Child) As for adult STSV PLUS Students can travel without an adult BUT parent or guardian must give written consent with full contact details They must have proof of where they will be living in the UK which must include: The name and address of the person they will be living with The address where they will be living Details of the relationship of the person looking after the student Written confirmation that they consent to looking after the student The school must include a written letter confirming they have informed the local authority The UK QA experience is not understood elsewhere nor is it necessarily appropriate We need to recognise that although a common framework for QA is desirable it must be put into a local context. Above all QA is a journey it is not a snapshot which is taken once and then forgotten Who will pay? Who is able to pay? QA needs to become part of the day to day life of an HEI if it is going to have any meaningful long term impact We must recognise that QA affects all stakeholders. It is not just about the risk management systems of UK institutions.

Common reasons for Visa Refusals Applicants apply for the wrong visa The Offer Letter does not meet UKVI information requirements Applicants have misunderstood the documentary requirements Financial documents are out of date The UK QA experience is not understood elsewhere nor is it necessarily appropriate We need to recognise that although a common framework for QA is desirable it must be put into a local context. Above all QA is a journey it is not a snapshot which is taken once and then forgotten Who will pay? Who is able to pay? QA needs to become part of the day to day life of an HEI if it is going to have any meaningful long term impact We must recognise that QA affects all stakeholders. It is not just about the risk management systems of UK institutions.

Do Make sure your offer letter is designed to cover UKVI information requirements Do make sure that you note that your institution is BAC accredited Do provide guidance notes for students Avoid any potential confusion The UK QA experience is not understood elsewhere nor is it necessarily appropriate We need to recognise that although a common framework for QA is desirable it must be put into a local context. Above all QA is a journey it is not a snapshot which is taken once and then forgotten Who will pay? Who is able to pay? QA needs to become part of the day to day life of an HEI if it is going to have any meaningful long term impact We must recognise that QA affects all stakeholders. It is not just about the risk management systems of UK institutions.

Don’t Allow students, no matter how senior they might be, to apply for anything other than a Short Term Study Visa Avoid dealing with accommodation issues Avoid local authority issues for under 18’s Issue repeated offer letters for a student in the same year – they will be refused entry at some point! The UK QA experience is not understood elsewhere nor is it necessarily appropriate We need to recognise that although a common framework for QA is desirable it must be put into a local context. Above all QA is a journey it is not a snapshot which is taken once and then forgotten Who will pay? Who is able to pay? QA needs to become part of the day to day life of an HEI if it is going to have any meaningful long term impact We must recognise that QA affects all stakeholders. It is not just about the risk management systems of UK institutions.

Curriculum Modeling Straight forward short courses Distance learning with a UK study element Multiple UE country study Overseas study with a partner – pre exam study session in the UK prior to taking examinations in the UK Condensed courses The UK QA experience is not understood elsewhere nor is it necessarily appropriate We need to recognise that although a common framework for QA is desirable it must be put into a local context. Above all QA is a journey it is not a snapshot which is taken once and then forgotten Who will pay? Who is able to pay? QA needs to become part of the day to day life of an HEI if it is going to have any meaningful long term impact We must recognise that QA affects all stakeholders. It is not just about the risk management systems of UK institutions.

Developing a model offer letter Group Activity The UK QA experience is not understood elsewhere nor is it necessarily appropriate We need to recognise that although a common framework for QA is desirable it must be put into a local context. Above all QA is a journey it is not a snapshot which is taken once and then forgotten Who will pay? Who is able to pay? QA needs to become part of the day to day life of an HEI if it is going to have any meaningful long term impact We must recognise that QA affects all stakeholders. It is not just about the risk management systems of UK institutions.

Developing an advice pack for your students Group activity The UK QA experience is not understood elsewhere nor is it necessarily appropriate We need to recognise that although a common framework for QA is desirable it must be put into a local context. Above all QA is a journey it is not a snapshot which is taken once and then forgotten Who will pay? Who is able to pay? QA needs to become part of the day to day life of an HEI if it is going to have any meaningful long term impact We must recognise that QA affects all stakeholders. It is not just about the risk management systems of UK institutions.