Educational sponsor compliance
Compliance management for universities, colleges and schools sponsoring international students. We cover Student route sponsorship duties, reporting obligations and the systems that keep your licence intact.
- 10 days
- To report non-attendance and significant changes to UKVI
- Plus 1 year
- Records kept for the sponsorship period and a year after
- Unannounced
- Home Office compliance visits are made without notice
- Three outcomes
- Action plan, suspension or revocation for non-compliance
What we cover
Educational institutions with Student sponsor licences must meet strict Home Office compliance requirements. We help universities, colleges and schools maintain their sponsor status and avoid penalties.
Compliance audits
A full review of your sponsor duties and systems: regular health checks, record-keeping assessments, CAS allocation review, attendance monitoring, contact information verification, SMS evaluation and a gap analysis with recommendations.
Reporting obligations
Attendance monitoring guidance, 10-day and 40-day reporting support, significant change reporting, withdrawal and transfer notifications, automated reminders and day-to-day SMS management support.
CAS management
CAS issuance procedures and assignment tracking, student eligibility checks, document verification, ATAS clearance requirements, withdrawal of unused CAS and allocation optimisation.
Staff training
Key personnel training programmes, sponsor duty and SMS workshops, reporting procedure training, document verification skills and regular updates on regulatory changes.
Key educational sponsor duties
The duties that a Student sponsor licence carries, and the evidence UKVI expects to see behind each one.
Student monitoring
Track student attendance, engagement and academic progress throughout their studies.
Timely reporting
Report significant changes to UKVI within 10 working days.
Contact details
Maintain current contact information for all sponsored students.
CAS management
Properly assign and manage Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, and issue CAS only for genuine students.
Document checks
Verify student identity, qualifications and English language evidence.
Record keeping
Maintain accurate and up-to-date records for all sponsored students.
- Report non-attendance within 10 consecutive expected contact days.
- Maintain your sponsor licence rating.
- Comply with UKVI compliance visits.
- Manage the Sponsor Management System correctly.
- Maintain ATAS clearance where required.
What must be reported, and when
Significant changes must be reported to UKVI within 10 days. The reportable events are set out below.
- Students not enrolling as expected
- Students ceasing or suspending studies
- Significant absence from studies
- Students not attending as expected
- Significant changes in circumstances
- Students suspected of breaching visa conditions
- Material changes affecting sponsorship
The 10-day rule
Records you must keep
Records must be kept for the duration of sponsorship plus one year after the student completes or withdraws.
- Copies of the CAS used
- Passport and visa documents
- Academic records
- Attendance records
- Contact details
- Evidence of reporting to the Home Office
Consequences of non-compliance
What follows a failed compliance check depends on the severity of what is found.
Action plan
Issued for minor breaches, requiring remedial action within specified timeframes.
Suspension
Temporary suspension of sponsorship privileges for serious breaches, preventing new student sponsorship.
Revocation
Permanent loss of the sponsor licence for severe or repeated non-compliance.
How we work with you
- 1Step 1
Compliance health check
A full review of sponsor duties, record keeping, CAS allocation, attendance monitoring and your SMS arrangements.
- 2Step 2
Gap analysis
We set out where the evidence falls short and what needs correcting, in priority order.
- 3Step 3
Fix systems and records
Reporting triggers, document verification processes and record organisation are put right and documented.
- 4Step 4
Train key personnel
Workshops for the staff who use the SMS and make reports, plus updates when the rules change.
- 5Step 5
Mock audit
A rehearsal of a UKVI visit — records reviewed, staff briefed and an action plan for anything still outstanding.
- 1Step 1
Compliance health check
A full review of sponsor duties, record keeping, CAS allocation, attendance monitoring and your SMS arrangements.
- 2Step 2
Gap analysis
We set out where the evidence falls short and what needs correcting, in priority order.
- 3Step 3
Fix systems and records
Reporting triggers, document verification processes and record organisation are put right and documented.
- 4Step 4
Train key personnel
Workshops for the staff who use the SMS and make reports, plus updates when the rules change.
- 5Step 5
Mock audit
A rehearsal of a UKVI visit — records reviewed, staff briefed and an action plan for anything still outstanding.
Related
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Read moreSponsor licence
How the Worker and Temporary Worker licences are applied for, and what UKVI checks before granting one.
Read moreTraining and workshops
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Read moreReady when you are
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