Universities and colleges who sponsor international students should take note of new student visa compliance rules which came into force on 1 June 2026. These latest changes mean that education institutions now face some of the most stringent compliance requirements of any industry, with serious consequences if they fall below the new standards.
What has changed for student sponsors?
The Home Office has made significant changes to its Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA) metrics for student sponsor licence holders. This is the annual assessment used to check whether student sponsors are meeting key compliance standards.
The BCA focuses on three areas:
- visa refusal rates for sponsored students;
- course enrolment rates; and
- course completion rates.
For Basic Compliance Assessments applied for on or after 1 June 2026, student sponsors must now meet the following standards:
- Visa refusal rate: less than 5%, reduced from less than 10%;
- Course enrolment rate: at least 95%, increased from 90%; and
- Course completion rate: at least 85%, rising to 90% from 1 June 2027.
These changes mean institutions need to be confident that their recruitment, admissions, enrolment and student monitoring processes are working effectively.
New traffic light rating for student sponsors
The Home Office has also introduced a Red-Amber-Green rating system for student sponsors. Under this system, sponsors will be rated against each of the three BCA metrics. A sponsor’s overall rating will be based on its lowest-rated metric, so strong performance in one area will not offset a weaker result elsewhere. The ratings are based on the following bands:
| Metric | Red | Amber | Green |
| Visa refusal rate | >5% | >4% to <5% | <4% |
| Course enrolment rate | <95% | >95% to <96% | >96% |
| Course completion rate | <90% | >90% to 92% | >92% |
The Home Office intends to make its new traffic light ratings public from summer 2027.
Why this matters for universities and colleges
Universities and colleges should take practical steps now to check whether their systems, policies and teams are ready for the new requirements.
We recommend that student sponsors:
- Review your systems: Consider whether your current monitoring and record-keeping systems are robust enough to identify and flag any issues with enrolment or completion before they pose a risk to your sponsor licence.
- Revise your policies: Consider whether any of your current student recruitment, sponsorship or monitoring policies need updated to ensure they enable you to meet these new and stricter requirements.
- Upskill your team: Consider whether your team would benefit from training to ensure they are up-to-date on the new requirements and your duties as a sponsor.
How can Thorntons help?
Thorntons’ specialist immigration team supports universities and colleges with student sponsor licence compliance. We offer a mock audit service for student sponsors to help you identify and resolve any issues before your next BCA. During your mock audit, we will review your records and processes with you and provide a detailed report on our recommendations to remain compliance.
We also offer bespoke training on sponsor licence compliance for universities and colleges, which can be delivered on campus or remotely.
For further information about our mock audit service and training sessions or advice on how the new rules might affect your organisation, please contact our specialist immigration team on 03330 430350.
