Overseas Students: Sponsorship

(asked on 28th March 2022) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of Confirmations of Acceptance for Studies issued were unassigned (1) by institution, and (2) in total, in each of the last five years.


Answered by
Baroness Williams of Trafford Portrait
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
This question was answered on 11th April 2022

The Home Office continues to welcome international students and we place no limit on their numbers.

In February 2021, the UK Government published an update to the International Education Strategy, recommitting to the ambitions to sustainably increase international students in the UK to 600,000 per year by 2030.

New sponsors can apply for an allocation of Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) of up to 50 percent of their current student body. Subsequent annual requests can be made for up to a 50 percent increase on a CAS allocation for sponsors who have assigned more than 50 CAS in the previous year.

There is no upper limit on the number of CAS which can be allocated across the system, or the number of providers able to gain a sponsor licence. Sponsors are able to submit additional in-year requests on an exceptional basis and there are no limits on the total number of CAS to be allocated in any given year. These requirements are set out in the published Student Sponsor guidance.

In the case of R (on the application of New London College Limited) (Appellant) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (Respondent) the Supreme Court found the general principle of mandatory requirements for sponsors and actions they must take to maintain a licence were ruled to be lawful and derived from the authority of the Immigration Act 1971, which would include requirements on the numbers of CAS allocated to sponsors.

Data on CAS allocations for specific institutions is not currently published. However, we do produce data at detailed sponsorship dataset which breaks down the numbers of CAS used by types of educational institution.

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