The UK’s Home Affairs Committee has said that “serious questions” have been raised about the conduct of the Home Office over its treatment of international students in the ETS TOEIC cheating scandal.
A formal inquiry will be opened into the Home Office’s mistreatment of international students during its investigation into fraudulent ETS TOEIC English language exams.
In a landmark ruling that could see many international students returning to the UK, an immigration tribunal has condemned the Home Office for deporting students for alleged exam deception in 2014 without confirming their role in the deception.
The London School of Business and Finance has had its Tier 4 licence to recruit non-EU students revoked, leading to hundreds of students being told they must leave the UK by the end of next month.
LSBF has had its Tier 4 licence allowing it to recruit international students suspended. If it is found to have committed a serious breach of compliance, the Home Office could sanction both LSBF and its umbrella company, Global University Systems.
The number of non-EU students allowed to stay and work or continue studying in the UK fell by a third in 2014, despite the number of work-related visa extensions increasing by 13%.
On April 6, the UK government announced that it was reducing the number of approved providers of Secure English Language Tests – those that can be used to support a visa application for sub-degree applications – from four to two. Beckie Smith assesses the impact.
Professionals in the UK’s FE sector have slammed the Home Office’s reforms to student visa regulations, warning that the restrictive policy will affect the HE pipeline of international students planning to enrol and study at undergraduate level in the UK.