Students granted exceptional right to apply for extended leave while universities can self-assess language
International students who are unable to complete their course before their visa expires because of the coronavirus pandemic have been granted the right to extend their stay in the UK, the Home Office has confirmed.
Students whose Tier 4 visas are set to expire before 31 May 2020, and who would otherwise be unable to extend their stay, will be able to “exceptionally apply for further leave within the UK”, according to new Home Office guidance.
“This includes students studying at providers who would otherwise be required to apply from their home country for further leave, such as students at non-higher education providers with a track record of compliance,” the guidance states.
“To be granted further leave to complete an existing course, or to begin a new course, students must still meet all other requirements of Tier 4, including academic progression and maintenance requirements.”
Students who need to repeat a year, retake a module or resit an exam “are exempt from demonstrating academic progression as would normally be the case for those applying in the UK”, the Home Office guidance adds.
Elsewhere in the updated advice, the Home Office says that universities are temporarily permitted to assess student applicants’ English language ability where external testing is unavailable because of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to new guidance on Tier 4 student visas, if applicants are required to take a ‘Secure English Language Test’ overseas to confirm eligibility but cannot do so because a test centre is unavailable, higher education providers with “a track record of compliance” can “self-assess students as having [the required] level of English”.
“Sponsors that are higher education providers but have not yet gained a track record of compliance due to pending registration with the Office for Students may also self-assess English Language,” the Home Office says, while providers which “were not eligible to register with the Office for Students and have a track record of compliance” may also do so.
“Any sponsors who use this temporary concession must ensure that the student has the required English language ability and must keep records of how they undertook the assessment,” the guidance states.