April 2016 saw the latest series of changes to the Immigration Rules affecting Tier 4 students. As you will undoubtedly be aware these changes come on the back of changes made earlier this year and late in 2015. Yet more changes are expected in the summer. It is therefore vitally important that our students receive the most up to date guidance possible and are nor disadvantaged by seemingly never-ending changes to the rules. In order to help you help them, we have put together a package of training materials designed to give you the latest information so that you can guide students through the immigration maze. It is essential that you engage with this training to ensure your students stand the best chance of getting their Tier 4 visa to study at Northumbria University.
The higher education sector has seen a rise in the rate of visa refusals for entry clearance applications. We at Northumbria have been affected by this and now need to ensure that avoidable refusals are minimised or, preferably, eradicated. In order to do this we need to ensure that students are submitting Tier 4 visa applications which fully meet the requirements and which stand the best possible chance of a successful outcome.
You play a vital part in this process as you are able to check that all documentation, particularly relating to financial requirements, is in the correct format and demonstrates that the student meets the Tier 4 requirements. Without the level of scrutiny that you bring to the process we cannot be sure that all applications will result in a successful Tier 4 visa application.
The following material has been designed to help you steer through the many obligations the Tier 4 visa route imposes on potential students. We will check back in with you in a month’s time to ensure that you have used the package and are able to demonstrate this.
We are currently working on an on-line training package which we anticipate will be ready soon.
