The last couple of years have been quite the white-knuckle ride, and we’re not just talking about Covid. If you work in the international student recruitment compliance world, you'll have felt the ups and downs of what, at times, has felt like almost weekly changes to Immigration Rules and updates to guidance.
Of course, some of these changes have directly resulted from the pandemic, but you can also throw in Brexit and the Home Office's intention to ‘simplify’ the Immigration Rules as important factors that have threatened to derail anyone trying to keep track.
Keeping on top of the changes is literally a full time job at many universities, and ensuring that policy is aligned and that suitable processes are in place to protect the UKVI Sponsor License is absolutely critical. Many of you will, of course, know the Appendix D and BCA requirements inside out, and if not, well, why not treat yourself to some bedtime reading! But even if you do, these changes often come without warning and can be easily missed.
At Enroly, we work closely with our partners to ensure that our software immediately reflects the latest compliance changes once they are released into the public domain, sometimes before our partner institutions using CAS Shield even hear or need to worry about them. We are really grateful for the support of our friends at UKCISA, and the input from all the institutions contributing to the forums that keep us across the latest compliance requirements and best practice.
As a case in point, you may have seen the new requirement in the latest version of Appendix D (updated on the 11th October 2021 - Part 5, section a, p.15) that institutions must retain on file the decision document sent to students, as follows:
‘Where a Student or Child Student has been issued a digital status, the conditions of the permission granted will be stated on the decision notification issued to the applicant. Sponsors should request a copy of the decision notification from the Student.’
In response to this, we were able to immediately include an automated ‘UKVI Decision Letter’ document request for EEA / Swiss applicants on CAS Shield, and so for institutions using our software, it was problem solved.
We’re glad to be able to fast-track these kinds of changes, and in doing so offer a smoother ride for our partners in the visa compliance process.
Interested in jumping on board? Book a demo.