Glyndwr University has had its Highly-Trusted Sponsor (HTS) status reinstated – allowing it to recruit international students after a five-month ban imposed by the Home Office as part of a crackdown on visa fraud. However, it will temporarily cease operations in London and will review its international recruitment practices.
Initially the Wales-based university will only be able to recruit Tier 4 (international) students to its main campus in Wrexham, and will review its security processes before re-applying for Tier 4 sponsorship in London.
It has agreed to terminate its lease on its London campus in December. It will move to new premises in July 2015.
“The university is fully committed to continuing its support for a more robust student visa system”
“The university is fully committed to continuing its support for a more robust student visa system and in that regard is undertaking a number of changes to its London campus during the coming months, including a locational move,” Glyndwr’s Vice Chancellor, Michael Scott, said in a statement.
“The university will continue to work closely with the UKVI, which shared its concerns for students legitimately studying at Glyndwr University, in accordance with legal regulations.”
“The students are the university’s primary concern, and the majority are hard-working and dedicated,” he continued. “They have not infringed immigration or university rules and regulations and should not suffer because of the misdeeds of a few.”
The National Union of Students (NUS) welcomed the decision, but said it was concerned about how the suspension was handled.
“The suspension of the university has caused considerable distress to the students of Glyndwr, as it risked the years they put into their courses of study and tens of thousands of pounds of fees had the university had its licence revoked,” Beth Button, President of NUS Wales, said.
“The current Tier 4 sponsor process places the most risk on innocent international students with minimal risk to sponsors and no risk to government, and this needs to change,” she added.
“We are disappointed by the slow rate of progress and the lack of support currently available for the more than 7,000 international students affected by sponsor revocations since June 2014.”
Around 2,104 of the university’s 8,400 students come from outside the EU, and it was estimated that the university could lose some £9.5m annually if its HTS status were to be revoked.
Glyndwr was one of three UK universities to be impacted by the investigation, along with an initial list of 57 private colleges which had their Tier 4 sponsorship revoked. So far more than 60 colleges have had their licences revoked as the list of suspensions continues to grow.
