Association of Colleges

Highly Trusted Sponsor Scheme

Publication date: 23 March 2010

The UK Border Agency launched the Highly Trusted Sponsor (HTS) scheme. Sponsors can now view the HTS criteria on the UK Border Agency website. You can now submit an application for a Highly Trusted Sponsor licence. The register will go live on Tuesday 6 April 2010.

What is the Highly Trusted Sponsor scheme and why is the UK Border Agency introducing it?

HTS is a new category of licence which will be awarded to those sponsors who can demonstrate the highest levels of compliance with their sponsor obligations and who have a proven track record of recruiting genuine students who comply with the UK's immigration rules.

The Highly Trusted Sponsor scheme will cut red tape for sponsors who qualify and allow our systems to monitor the others more thoroughly.

Sponsors with a Highly Trusted Sponsor licence will have the ability to offer courses at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level 3 and equivalents, and courses with work placements below degree level (excluding foundation degrees) under Tier 4 (General) of the Points Based System. They will also receive additional services, including a dedicated Account Management function and a more flexible approach to reporting student non-attendance.

Criteria

Following Ministerial direction a number of institutions will automatically be categorised as Highly Trusted Sponsors when the register goes live on 6 April 2010.  When the scheme is launched, publicly funded institutions who are currently A-rated and who are subject to a full institutional inspection by one of the following will, by default, be deemed to have Highly Trusted status:

• Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for Higher Education (UK-wide)
• Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted)
• Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (Scotland)
• Estyn (Wales)
• Education and Training Inspectorate (Northern Ireland)

The UK Border Agency will publish a list of the institutions that meet the automatic criteria and will automatically receive the benefits of HTS. We will write to them on 6 April 2010 to inform them of the next steps they must take in order to obtain their Highly Trusted Sponsor licence.

To qualify for Highly Trusted Sponsor licence, all sponsors, including those who need to apply to retain the benefits of HTS following automatic qualification, must meet the criteria set out by the UK Border Agency and pay the appropriate fee. Full details of the criteria, along with the new application form, guidance and transitional arrangements are available on the UK Border Agency website.

Transitional Arrangements

Sponsors who have automatically qualified for the benefits of a Highly Trusted Sponsor, but are waiting for their licence application to be considered and approved will be allowed to continue to offer courses at NQF Level 3 and courses below degree level (except for foundation degrees) which encompasses a work placement.

Sponsors who do not automatically qualify for the benefits of Highly Trusted Sponsor status and are awaiting the outcome of their application, will also be able to offer the same courses as Highly Trusted Sponsors until their application has been approved or until 30 June 2010, whichever is the soonest as long as they have submitted their application by 30 April 2010. 

For Independent Schools

A change has been made to the Child student rules, therefore it is unnecessary for Independent Schools to qualify for automatic inclusion on the HTS register; please see the UK Border Agency website for further information.  

However, where Independent Schools offer places on courses at NQF level 3 and equivalents to students aged 18 or over on the date of application, such schools will need to apply to UKBA for a HTS licence in order to continue to do so.

If you have any general enquiries regarding this information or Sponsorship under the Points Based System, please contact UK Border Agency.

Alternatively, you can contact John Mountford or Robert Russell at AoC.

 

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