ELA has been awarded a Highly Trusted Sponsor Licence

ELA is pleased to announce that we have been successful in our application to become a licensed Highly Trusted Sponsor from the UK Border Agency.

The Highly Trusted sponsor licence is awarded to education providers that have a record of excellence in recruiting genuine students who obey the UK’s immigration rules.  The licence is only given to schools that have the best levels of compliance with sponsor obligations and whose students meet the terms of their visa or permission to stay in the UK.

If a student from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) wants to study for more than 6 months in the UK, they must first receive sponsorship from an education provider.  To be a licenced sponsor a school must first:

• ·         be able to show that it is inspected, audited or accredited by an approved body
• ·         allocate a number of key roles to staff using the sponsorship management system
• ·         be able to comply with sponsorship duties
• ·         have the correct systems in place to be able to monitor students' attendance.

 Being awarded the Highly Trusted Sponsor Licence, means that ELA will be able to offer a wider range of courses to students.  The type of courses we will be allowed to provide in the future include:

• ·         Courses at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level 3 and equivalents
• ·         Courses below degree level that encompass a work placement.

 Other sponsors will no longer be able to offer these courses (other than foundation degree courses containing work placements).

The licence also means that ELA will be allowed to give Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) to students who have already done two re-sits. Any students that ELA assigns with CAS will be allowed to begin studying whilst their application for leave to remain in the UK is pending.