Off Campus Attendance Monitoring Procedures

Transcription

1 Off Campus Attendance Monitoring Procedures Background The vast majority of students from non-eea countries [see Appendix 1 for a list of EEA countries] require what is known as Tier 4 sponsorship before they can obtain a visa to study in the UK. There are other students from non-eea countries who will be able to study in the UK because they have, for example, married a UK citizen. The Home Office has tight rules governing the Tier 4 scheme. Unless City complies strictly with these rules it could lose its Tier 4 licence and thus be unable to admit any non-eea students in future. This procedure outlines the attendance monitoring requirements for students at City, undertaking either a work placement or part of their studies off campus. The four strands of off campus activity are: Work Placement Study Abroad Study undertaken at another institution or location Students undertaking personal study (such as dissertation or field work) away from City. As a Tier 4 Sponsor, City is required to monitor student attendance and ensure that if the student stops engaging with their programme they are reported to the Home Office. Tier 4 Students can be identified in SITS by checking the SCE Screen and Tier 4 Flag. Tier 4 Students would have either T4V or T4N next to their record.

2 This procedure provides information on the Tier 4 requirements, responsibilities and processes in place at City and the and form templates for use when off campus activity is identified. This will include completing a form to confirm what activity the student is undertaking and where.

3 Student Responsibility City is required to adhere to its Tier 4 obligations for students even when they undertake off campus activity. This includes monitoring attendance for students who are not in the UK. Students should be made aware of their responsibilities and what they are required to do by City in order to meet these requirements. School Responsibility Identify off campus activity across any programme, course or module. Schools must complete the relevant form to confirm what activity the student is undertaking and where. This must be completed and submitted to the Visa Compliance team before the off campus activity begins. the student to confirm their ongoing responsibilities as a Tier 4 Student. Keep Visa Compliance up to date about any changes in student circumstances i.e. if the student has returned from their placement early. Inform Visa Compliance of any research students undertaking annual leave via the Authorised Absence Form. Tier 4 Off Campus Activity Reporting Guide Please see steps outlined in the table that need to be taken by Schools for each type of off campus activity. In each case it is the responsibility of the School to have the processes in place to identify and inform Visa Compliance of any activity before it begins and it is the responsibility of Visa Compliance to inform the Home Office of this. Type of Activity Further Information Requirements Work Placement (FT) or Clinical Placement (FT) Includes observation Complete Off Campus Activity Reporting Form (Appendix 2) and return to Visa Compliance Ensure an agreement with placement employer is on student file Ensure employer aware of responsibilities of taking on

4 Work Placement (PT) or Clinical Placement (PT) Module undertaken at another university or Part of module undertaken at another university Includes students that are based at City and undertake placements for as little as an hour per week Includes observation Includes MSc and MBA research projects with placement option a Tier 4 students Ensure attendance monitoring process is in place Ensure employer verifies passport & visa at the start of the placement Complete Off Campus Activity Reporting Form (Appendix 2) and return to Visa Compliance Ensure an agreement with placement employer is on student file Ensure employer aware of responsibilities of taking on a Tier 4 students Ensure university added to City licence. This will need to be done by Visa Compliance well in advance of the module starting Complete Off Campus Activity Reporting Form (Appendix 2) and return to Visa Compliance Any teaching on non- City premises Includes any other buildings or universities Inform Visa Compliance of site details so that the additional site can be added to the Tier 4 licence Individual students do not need to be reported Fieldwork Ask student to complete the Off Campus Study Form (Appendix 3) Ensure that arrangements for attendance monitoring are in place during the period of off campus activity Return form to Visa Compliance Please note that Writing up from home is not permitted under Tier 4 Visa regulations In these cases, City would withdraw Tier 4 sponsorship and the student would be required to apply for a new visa should they need to return to the UK at a later date. For further information contact visacompliance@city.ac.uk

5 Work Placement/Study Abroad Information The School is required to inform the Visa Compliance team of the student s work placement/study arrangements in order to ensure that the change in student circumstances can be reported to the Home Office. The required details are: - Length of work placement/study abroad - Work/Host university address and contact name - Contact details for the student This information should be sent to visacompliance@city.ac.uk before the student starts their work placement/study abroad programme. Information for Employer and Host University about Attendance Monitoring In order to ensure that employers and other universities understand our responsibilities and comply with our requests the confirmation should be sent before the start of the student s placements/study abroad programme. Their confirmation should be stored in each tier 4 student s file. See Appendix 4 for the template. Information for student about Attendance Monitoring In addition, City needs to ensure that Tier 4 students away from campus understand that they are still required to maintain good attendance and that they are required to maintain contact with the University during the year. The Schools should send the to all Tier 4 Students on work placement/study abroad programme in the first 2 weeks of their studies away from campus. See Appendix 5 and 6 for the template. Visa Compliance will send a separate to all students on work placements/study abroad to remind them of their responsibilities as a Tier 4 student later in the placement. Enrolment and ID verification Students away from City are required to re-register online as part of the standard City procedures. These students are exempted from in-person registration at City as it is understood that it may not be possible for them to travel to the campus while on

6 placement/study abroad programme. The student s ID which includes their passport and visa should be checked by the employer/host institution in order to verify that the student has arrived to start their work/studies and also so that City has a record that the student still holds a valid visa. This needs to be completed within three weeks of the start of their work/studies. Schools should send an to the employer/study abroad institution as start of the student s engagement away from campus. See Appendix 7 for the template. Attendance Monitoring Contact Points As per City s Tier 4 Attendance Monitoring Policy, City must continue to fulfil its sponsor duties for Tier 4 Visa holders when they are studying or working away from City campuses. This may mean that these students are subject to additional centrally-monitored contact points. Contact points will take place via electronic methods and will be monitored by the School nominees. Students that are undertaking a work placement or study period abroad are not engaged in their studies in the same way as students that are based at City and therefore the School nominees responsible for these students is permitted to use some flexibility in the contact points that they use as long as there are at least 10 spread throughout the year. Below is a list of contact points some of which are required and others which are optional. All of these contact points can be repeated but the intention is that there should be a mix of contacts which fit with the cycle of the student s placement. If the employer/host institution is happy to a confirmation on a monthly basis, this would suffice for all contact points following the ID check. Contacts Suggested contact point Notes 1 Online registration + ID checks Mandatory must be completed within 3 weeks from the work placement/study abroad start date. The University can accept a photocopy or scan of the visa and passport signed and dated by the employer to confirm that they have seen the originals. Please see Enrolment and ID verification section 2 Attendance form signed by Mandatory can be sent either via

7 employer/host university student or the employer/host institution 3 Mid-term exchange feedback Online submission by the student 4 Attendance at any event at City If student is in the UK Campus 5 Record of School nominees visit or phone call Call to the student work place/number abroad if on study abroad programme 6 Student questionnaire If applicable 7 /Letter from the employer/host Mandatory university confirming attendance 8 Mid-term exchange feedback Online submission by the student 9 Contact via work if on work placement/work submitted on Moodle (if study abroad programme) 10 Employer feedback/study Abroad Transcript The contact points do not have to follow the suggested order above. If the School nominees wish to use a different type of contact they can contact the Visa Compliance Team to confirm if this will be suitable. Recording Contacts School nominees are responsible for monitoring attendance on a regular basis. Their responsibility will be to record and monitor attendance each month for their Tier 4 students. All relevant evidence must be kept in the students file. Visa Compliance will have three checkpoints throughout the academic year: January, April and July (September intake) and May, September and January (January intake). Concerns and Problems School staff should ensure that the employer or study abroad institutions know to contact them if there are any concerns about attendance or if the student is ill. Any information of this kind should be recorded by the School nominees and escalated to the Visa Compliance Team if there are concerns that the student has stopped engaging. For further information contact visacompliance@city.ac.uk

8 Appendix 1 List of EEA Countries Austria Greece Netherlands Belgium Hungary Norway Bulgaria Iceland Poland Cyprus Ireland Portugal Czech Republic Italy Romania Croatia Latvia Slovakia Denmark Liechtenstein Slovenia Estonia Lithuania Spain Finland Luxembourg Sweden France Malta United Kingdom For the purposes of visa requirements, Switzerland is also exempted.

9 Appendix 2

10 Appendix 3 Off Campus Study Form Form to be completed for any agreed periods of off campus study longer than two weeks. Please submit the form to the Visa Compliance Team before the student begins off campus study and keep a record on the student file. For Placement of Study Abroad reporting please complete the Off Campus Activity Reporting Form. Student Information (to be completed by student) Student Name: School of registration: Course: Student ID number: Start date of degree programme: Regulatory note: The University is not able to sponsor students that do not require supervision or contact with the University for a period of 60 days. Please contact the Visa Compliance for further information Off-campus study schedule (to be completed by student in conjunction with School) Year of Study Start Date End Date No. of months Study Location address Purpose (e.g. data collection, research project, writing up) Total time to be spent off campus Please note that although these plans may be altered at a later date, the relevant School must be kept informed of any changes as the actual dates of off-campus study may have an impact on your visa Signatures (to be completed by student) The periods of study reported above have been discussed and agreed between student and School Student signature: Date:

11 For official use only (to be completed by the relevant School) Will City be sponsoring the student as a Tier 4 student while off- campus? Y N If continuing to sponsor please provide confirmation of how the student s attendance will be monitored Please ensure a copy is sent to visacompliance@city.ac.uk so that the Home Office can be informed of the change in study address. Any further changes to off-campus study should also be reported to Visa Compliance Name: Signature: Date:

12 Appendix 4 Confirmation to Employer/Study Abroad Institution Dear XXXX We are writing to you in reference to City, University of London students that will be undertaking a work placement with you/ completing a part of their studies at your institution (delete as appropriate) this year. City, University of London is a sponsor for international students who hold a visa under Tier 4 of the points-based immigration system. As a sponsor, the University is obliged to meet the expectations of the Home Office. Specifically, the Home Office requires sponsors to report any Tier 4 students who are not attending their programme. The requirement to report students who are not attending remains even when a student is on a placement/studying elsewhere (delete as appropriate). In order to assist us with this, we would be grateful if you would inform us if you have concerns about a student s attendance at any point during the year so that we can raise this with them. We may contact you periodically to ask for specific confirmation that students have been attending work/classes (delete as appropriate). In addition, you will be required to take a photocopy of the student s passport and visa; sign, date, and verify that you have seen the original on the copy and return these to us. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us. Further information on our responsibilities as a sponsor can be found on the Home Office website: nce/ Please respond to this to confirm that you agree to the requirements as detailed. Yours sincerely XXXX

13 Appendix 5 to Tier 4 Students on Work Placements Dear Student, As you are aware, your attendance and engagement with your course are currently monitored by the University in line with our responsibilities as your Tier 4 visa sponsor. The requirement to monitor your attendance remains even when you are on a work placement. Please see below your responsibilities as a Tier 4 Student: 1) Remain in contact with your department and continue to check your university address regularly. 2) Ensure that you attend your placement and report any absences to your line Manager and your placement contact at City. 3) Report any annual leave agreed with your employer to your placement contact at City 4) Do not work over your agreed hours 5) Notify your placement contact at City immediately if your circumstances change in anyway. This includes if you change role, move premises or have to take a leave of absence. Failure to do so could impact on your status as a Tier 4 student. Further information about your responsibilities as a Tier 4 student can be found on the City website: For visa advice you can contact the International Student Advice team: Yours sincerely XXXX

14 Appendix 6 to Tier 4 Students on Study Abroad programme Dear Student, As you are aware, your attendance and engagement with your course are currently monitored by City, University of London in line with our responsibilities as your Tier 4 visa sponsor. The requirement to monitor your attendance remains even when you are studying abroad. Whilst you are away this year, it is necessary that you remain in contact with your department and continue to check your City address regularly. You must inform us of any change in circumstance that will affect your visa or a change to your contact details. In addition, City will ask your host university to confirm that you are engaging with studies. If concerns are raised regarding your attendance we will investigate this further and if you are judged to not be actively engaging with your programme you will be withdrawn and City s sponsorship of your visa will cease. This will normally lead to your visa being curtailed by the Home Office and you will be required to return to your home country. Further information about your responsibilities as a Tier 4 student can be found on the University website: For visa advice you can contact the International Student Advice team: Yours sincerely XXXX

15 Appendix 7 Host institution passport and visa verification request at start of term: Dear XXX We are writing to you with regard to the attached list of City, University of London students that are currently based with you on a work placement/completing part of their studies at your institution (delete as appropriate). Further to our at the beginning of the placement as part of our Tier 4 sponsor responsibilities we are required to take scans of student s passports and visa to confirm that they hold valid permission to study in the UK. In order to assist us with this we require that as part of the placement you take a photocopy of student s passport and visa; sign, date, and verify that you have seen the original on the copy and return these to us. The deadline for completing and returning the documents to us is XXX. We are grateful for your assistance with this requirement and if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us. Yours sincerely XXXX