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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