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International Exeter<br />

annual report<br />

2013/14<br />

international recruitment performance<br />

UKVI compliance<br />

In order to recruit international students the University<br />

is required to hold both a Tier 4 Sponsor License and<br />

Highly Trusted Sponsor (HTS) status, both of which<br />

are awarded by the Home Office.<br />

To ensure that the University is fully compliant with<br />

visa guidance, the Immigration Compliance Unit was<br />

established in January 2013. As well as ensuring that<br />

the University’s compliance processes run smoothly<br />

and effectively, the Unit is tasked with keeping up to<br />

date with changes in Home Office/UKVI guidance<br />

and developing appropriate institutional responses.<br />

The University applies each year to the Home<br />

Office for a renewal of its HTS status. In assessing<br />

our application the Home Office measures our<br />

performance against a number of key indicators, one<br />

of which is our visa refusal rate, i.e. the number of<br />

applicants to Exeter for whom a Tier 4 visa application<br />

is declined. Government concerns over immigration<br />

meant that in 2013/14 it was ruled that an application<br />

for HTS status would be refused in cases where the<br />

visa refusal rate was 20% or more.<br />

On 29 July 2014 it was announced by the Home Office<br />

that this rate would be reduced to 10% with effect<br />

from 1 November 2014. Exeter’s average visa refusal<br />

rate is 2%.<br />

One of the Home Office requirements that the sector<br />

has found most challenging is the requirement to<br />

monitor attendance of Tier 4 students. During 2013/14<br />

Exeter introduced improvements to its monitoring<br />

systems which helped to ensure greater accuracy and<br />

consistency across the institution, with a consequent<br />

reduction in the considerable administrative burden<br />

for Colleges.<br />

Another challenge for the sector is reacting quickly and<br />

effectively to changes in Home Office guidance, and<br />

communicating those changes clearly and speedily to<br />

staff and international students alike: the Home Office’s<br />

investigation into fraud connected with ETS English<br />

Language qualifications, and the subsequent removal<br />

of such qualifications from the list of ‘Secure English<br />

Language Tests’, was a case in point. The University<br />

responded by sending regular communications to<br />

applicants on this topic during the year and continues<br />

to support them through the visa application process.<br />

UNIVERSITY OF EXETER VISA REFUSAL RATE: 2013/14<br />

20%<br />

18%<br />

16%<br />

14%<br />

12%<br />

10%<br />

8%<br />

6%<br />

4%<br />

2%<br />

0%<br />

September October November December January February March April May June July August<br />

Source: UKVI data University estimates<br />

30<br />

31

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