Insights from EnrolyCon 2025
As the UK Home Office rolls out one of the most significant updates to the Sponsor Management System (SMS) in recent years, the international education sector is facing a new wave of compliance challenges - and opportunities.
At EnrolyCon’25, Ross Porter (Associate Director of Visa Compliance & Financial Aid at London Business School and Vice Chair of UKCISA) led a timely and interactive session alongside Enroly’s in-house immigration experts. The session unpacked the evolving technical requirements, offered practical guidance, and gave attendees a chance to share readiness insights and concerns in real time.
What’s changing?
From February 2026, the SMS is being updated with several new data fields, including:
- Agent details
- Remote delivery information
- Original course start date
- Scholarship info
- Expanded gender values
These updates affect both manual CAS assignment and the bulk upload process. While some fields are relatively straightforward, others - like agent and remote delivery data, are more complex and require significant institutional preparation.
Why it matters
UKVI’s updates aim to streamline caseworking and reduce reliance on free-text fields like sponsor notes. However, the implications go far beyond technical changes. The sector must now consider:
- Whether student record systems can capture and report agent data in the required format
- How to identify and quantify the percentage of remote delivery per programme
- The consequences of breaching remote learning thresholds (>20% requires UKVI permission, >40% invalidates CAS issuance)
Group polls: Sector sentiment
Participants shared their experiences through open-text polls, providing valuable insight into sector readiness and concerns.
Agent Data Challenges
A key discussion theme was the complexity of agent reporting, especially when it comes to:
- Identifying sub-agents in large aggregator networks
- Matching the agent name students provide in interviews with those listed on the CAS
- Integrating agent data across fragmented systems
“I struggle to believe that UKVI won’t use agent data when making decisions, especially if the student is interviewed and gives a different name.”
— Session attendee
Others voiced the need for clarity on deadlines and system vendor updates, with many institutions still unsure if their current systems support agent data reporting at all.
Remote delivery complexity
When it came to calculating remote delivery percentages, the consensus was that while institutions are attempting to comply, definitional and data challenges remain.
“We’re doing this now - but it raises questions about extra events in the timetable that may not count as formal teaching.”
— Session attendee
Some attendees reported progress, with deliberate efforts to keep remote delivery under 20%. However, others admitted uncertainty about whether current systems even allow for tracking remote delivery accurately.
Key takeaways
- Agent and remote delivery data requirements are here - and they’re complex. Institutions must work quickly to ensure systems, processes, and data definitions align with new SMS fields.
- There’s sector-wide anxiety around sub-agents, data accuracy, and UKVI expectations. Concerns remain about how agent data may be interpreted, despite Home Office reassurances.
- Remote delivery must be clearly tracked and quantified. Institutions need robust frameworks to ensure teaching delivery remains within permitted thresholds - or risk CAS compliance issues.
What’s next?
With the schema already live and deadlines approaching fast, institutions should prioritise:
- Engaging with system vendors to enable SMS-compliant data reporting
- Creating internal policies for agent data management and sub-agent transparency
- Collaborating with faculties to define and control remote delivery practices
Thanks to everyone who joined the session at EnrolyCon’25.
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