End of COVID-19 Student Sponsorship Concessions

Policy effect

The Home Office established a hard deadline of June 30, 2022, for students to transition back to face-to-face instruction, ending distance/blended learning concessions.

Conditions and exceptions

Validated condition or limit: The Home Office established a hard deadline of June 30, 2022, for students to transition back to face-to-face instruction, ending distance/blended learning concessions.

Official source excerpt

Quoted verbatim from the official source below. Ellipses indicate omitted text.

… is available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus. Coronavirus immigration help centre 1.9 If you have immigration queries related to coronavirus, please email the Coronavirus Immigration Help Centre. Email: CIH@homeoffice.gov.uk. Your email must be in English. Publication Below is information on when this guidance was published: Version: 12.0 Published on 25 February 2022 Changes since last publication Current paragraph number Previous paragraph number Changes made 2.11 2.11 End dates for transition from distance learning updated to 30 June 2022 2.16 N/A A new paragraph added to confirm … concessions on distance and blended learning will be permitted if there is a local restriction anywhere in each of the four nations of the UK which prohibits in-person teaching and that this concession will be permitted in line with the duration of any such restrictions. 2.17 2.17 Updated to reflect the change to distance learning concessions in 2.16. Blended learning concession end date updated to 30 June 2022. 2.19 2.19 End date updated to 30 June 2022. 3.2 3.2 Commencement of in person/blended learning end date updated to 30 June 2022. 3.5 3.5 End date for blended learning updated to 30 June … takes place entirely remotely, without any face-to-face teaching or research activities on the sponsor’s sites. 2.11 Sponsors are not required to withdraw sponsorship if an existing student is unable to return to the UK due to travel restrictions. Institutions can continue to provide distance learning for their existing sponsored students who are outside the UK, who will transition to face-to-face or blended learning in the UK before 30 June 2022. Sponsors can also commence sponsoring new Students and Child Students who will start studying through distance learning from overseas in the 2021-22 … permitted to adopt a blended learning approach for students who are studying in the UK until 30 June 2022. Unless restrictions or guidance meeting the criteria at 2.16 applies, sponsors will not be able to provide tuition which is delivered entirely remotely to students who are undertaking their studies within the UK, there must be some face-to-face learning as specified in 2.18. 2.18 Sponsors must have face-to-face contact with sponsored Students who are doing blended learning in the UK at least twice per month during term time, on a rolling four-week basis, unless less frequent contact is already … learning 3.1 Students and Child Students are not normally permitted to undertake distance or blended learning courses. However, due to the current exceptional circumstances, we will not consider it a breach of sponsor duties to offer distance learning to students outside the UK (including students who commenced study in person before returning overseas to continue studying) or blended learning to students in the UK. 3.2 New international students who have been granted permission under the Student or Child Student routes but have been unable to travel to the UK are permitted to undertake distance … the Student or Child Student route before their course starts or before they travel to the UK, either is acceptable. 3.4 New international students outside the UK who have not yet applied for a visa but wish to commence a course by distance learning from outside the UK and who do not intend to travel to the UK to transition to face-to-face learning, do not require sponsorship under the Student or Child Student routes. 3.5 International students in the UK can also continue existing courses or commence new courses of study by blended learning. From 27 September 2021 until 30 June 2022 blended learning …

Review method

Two separate automated exact-claim source reviews

Other United Kingdom changes operative in 2022

• 2022-02-15Addition of Social Care and Care Workers to Health and Care Visa & Shortage Occupation List
• 2022-02-17Immediate Closure of the Tier 1 (Investor) Visa Route (CP 632)
• 2022-02-26United Kingdom removes European Social Charter work-visa fee concessions
• 2022-04-06Removal of No Time Limit (NTL) Application Fee
• 2022-04-06Use of Identity Document Validation Technology (IDVT) for Digital Right to Work Checks
• 2022-05-03Ukraine Extension Scheme opens for eligible people already in the UK
• 2022-05-11Imposition of Visitor Visa Regime on Nationals of El Salvador
• 2022-05-30Introduction of the High Potential Individual route
• 2022-06-01New Legal Advice Service for Immigration Detainees
• 2022-06-24Revision of UK Expansion Worker Guidance (Endorsement Streamlining)
• 2022-06-28Commencement of Core Nationality Reforms (Remedying Historical Injustices)
• 2022-06-28Implementation of Differentiated Refugee Status Regime (HC 17)
• 2022-08-10Homes for Ukraine opens to new applications from children without parents or legal guardians
• 2022-08-22Introduction of the Scale-up route
• 2022-08-31Devolution of Immigration Bail Regulations for Scotland and Northern Ireland
• 2022-10-01Reinstatement of In-Person Right to Work Checks
• 2022-11-30Closure of the Afghan Ex-Gratia Scheme