Are You Sponsoring Tier 4 Students In 2020/21?

On 16 June 2020, the Government updated its coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance for Tier 4 sponsors and international students.

The updated guidance includes some useful clarifications for those universities, which are currently in the process of sponsoring new international students.

Distance Learning by Tier 4 Students Permitted During 2020/21

As we have reported previously, distance learning courses are not normally suitable for Tier 4 sponsorship, but this restriction has been relaxed in response to the pandemic. Updated guidance issued by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) now confirms that this concession will continue throughout the 2020/21 academic year. The guidance confirms that new and returning Tier 4 students who will start or continue studying through distance or blended learning can continue to do so after the summer holidays and throughout the 2020/21 academic year 'provided they intend to transition to face-to-face learning as soon as circumstances