• the University being charged £10, by the UKBA, for every applicant that declares that they need to apply for a Tier 4 visa, even though that person may not, at the end of the day, choose to study at this University.  The charge also applies to students already at the University who need a visa extension under Tier 4;
• at registration obtaining a copy of each Tier 4 students’ passport and visa information, checking that the student is permitted to study at the University (i.e. the licence number on the visa must match our Tier 4 licence number); and informing the student that they must keep their contact details up to date at all times;
• Undertaking at least another 2 registration checks during an academic year;
• Reporting to the UKBA within 10 days any student who fails to enrol on their programme of study within the specified enrolment period.  We must also include the reason the student gives for non-attendance or enrolment (for example, a missed flight) if known;
• Reporting to the UKBA any unauthorised student absences of at least 10 continuous working days (a student must request permission to be absent from the University during term time);
• Reporting to the UKBA where a student ends their studies (withdraws, study programme ends sooner than expected, not permitted to progress or simply stops attending without formally withdrawing).  We must report this within 10 working days of the event in question, and give the UKBA the name and address of any new institution that they have joined, where known;
• Reporting to the UKBA if we have any information which suggests that a student is breaching the conditions of their leave.  We must report this within 10 working days.
• We must also send the UKBA details of any third party or intermediary, in the United Kingdom or abroad, that helped us to recruit students.

• International students (with few exceptions) can only study full time.  In other words, part time study violates the Tier 4 visa conditions;
• International students should return to their home country if they suspend their studies for a fixed period of time (for more than 60 days) or withdraw from their studies.  Failure to leave the UK violates their visa conditions;
• International students must not work more than 20 hours per week in Term Time (which includes the summer for a postgraduate taught student, or writing up and examination period for a research student);
• The University cannot continue to ‘sponsor’ any student whose progress is not satisfactory and we will not be permitted to sponsor any student who exhausts all their re-assessment opportunities.  If we do so, we could have our Licence taken away or downgraded;
• Any student requiring an extension to their visa will, in the majority of cases, apply via the International Student Advisers for a Certificate of Acceptance (CAS) under the Tier 4 visa category.  The University will be charged £10, by the UKBA, for every extension requested.  The University must also confirm that the student is eligible to continue on their programme of study. Students who do not have a good attendance record, or it looks likely that a visa will be refused (e.g. debt to the University, or financial evidence is poor) will not be issued with a CAS.

• Advise any international student who is considering suspending or withdrawing from their studies, or changing to part time study, and think that they can still remain in the UK, to make an appointment to see an International Student Adviser (ISA), based in the Student Advice and Support Office in The Hub.  The ISAs have extensive visa and immigration knowledge, will help students to reach an informed decision and will assess what implications the planned change may have on their visa status.  This can be done by phoning 273935, or dropping into The Hub.  There are only three ISAs so, where a visa is due to expire, students should make an appointment around two-three months in advance of their visa expiry date;
• If an international student tells you that he wants to suspend, withdraw or change to part time study ask the student if he/she is on a tier 4 visa. If so, send them to the Infohub, or to an International Student Adviser to discuss their options.  Where a Tier 4 student wants to change to part-time study the Registry would not normally know about this so you should let them know directly by emailing tier4@abdn.ac.uk;
• The UKBA has informed sponsors that they may periodically visit the University, announced or unannounced, to test our compliance.  Therefore, we must know in general terms the whereabouts of our international students.  For example, if a student wants to go on holiday during term-time for longer than a few days (a week or more) the student must submit an application to their School/Graduate School for written permission to take time out; if they want to undertake any study away from Aberdeen they must also submit an application to their School/Graduate School to be studying off campus and agree to comply with the required monitoring of attendance (if not in the UK the monitoring requirement does not apply). However, students off campus for more than 60 days cause the University and themselves a further difficulty;
• With regards to monitoring of attendance the University has decided that the current undergraduate monitoring system will apply and be extended to all postgraduate and non-graduating programmes also.  Where Schools identify, through monitoring, that a person has stopped attending, without being granted permission, Registry staff will investigate why the student has disappeared and where all checks have been exhausted the Registry will force withdraw him/her and report the student to the UKBA.  This effectively curtails the student’s Tier 4 visa. 

• Again, with regards to monitoring, staff must be aware that even if a student is off campus in the UK, for whatever reason (e.g. on placement or on fieldwork), the University is still responsible for monitoring the attendance of that student.  Placement providers must be advised of this and ensure that they inform the University if a student stops attending;
• If a student has been studying off campus and is a currently registered student the Registry will not know when that student returns to the UK.  Please can you ensure that the student submits his/her original passport and a copy of same to the Infohub;
• Ensure that students are reminded to keep their contact details current and accurate.  They can do so through the student portal, at their School office or at the Infohub;
• If in doubt, you should email tier4@abdn.ac.uk or phone 273038 if you are concerned that a student may be breaching the terms of their student visa.

• The majority of international students applying for entry clearance to come into the UK since 31 March 2009 will have been issued with a Tier 4 visa.  Students from the European Economic Area (and Switzerland) do not fall under these rules;
• The majority of international students applying for an extension to their visa will likely have to meet the criteria of a Tier 4 visa.  A student who may not require a Tier 4 visa could be in the UK under a different visa category e.g. as a dependant of a migrant.

• You must not ignore it if a student misses an expected interaction e.g. tutorial, seminar, lab etc. (attendance at lectures does not need to be monitored, unless it is a manageable sized class or is a current School requirement);
• You should not ignore it if a student is missing because he/she has told you that he/she is to withdraw or suspend study, but he/she is still appearing on your class lists. You should continue to monitor progress (C6 and/or C7) as long as the student is still on the class list. Students sometimes do not complete the required paperwork.
• You must not attempt to offer any advice to students on visa or immigration matters. Instead you should refer students to the International Student Advisers. They are the only staff who are trained to provide immigration advice to students and their services are regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner’s.
• Do not arrange for a ‘visiting’ international student or staff member to come to the UK until you check if that person is going to meet the criteria to allow the University to register that person as a student, particularly if it is going to be for more than 6 months.  Currently this is a very grey area;

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