Points Based System Task and Finish Group
Friday, 14th November at 2.00 p.m.
COMMITTEE ROOM A
INVITEES:
Sara Doherty
Amelia Mansfield
Suzanne Aburagheb
Jill Bartholomew
Sandy Day
Laura Johns
Andrew Johnson
Sue Lawrie
Richard Lamming
Sue Milward
Nicola Padget
Head of Student Experience (Chair)
International Student Adviser (Secretary)
Student Service Coordinator, INTO
Head of Student Services & Systems, INTO
Administrative Officer, Registry
Students Guild Deputy President
Personnel Policies Manager
International Student Support Officer
Director of Business School
Head of Integration and Web Services
Head of International Recruitment
Stephanie Anagnostopoulos
Jonathan Barry
Emma Baker
Catriona Bell
Bernice James
Graduate Management Trainee
Dean of Taught Programmes
Head of Projects
Administrative Officer, Cornwall Campus
Application & Operations Manager,
Admissions
Projects Officer, Projects Office
Director of Academic Services
Personnel Officer
APOLOGIES
Steve Sherwood
Michele Shoebridge
Rachel Wall
AGENDA
Notes in italics are answers obtained from UKBA Stakeholder Event on 17
November to issues raised at the meeting.
1
Introductions and Aplogies
2
Reminder of ToR
3
Update on Implementation of PBS
4
Registration for Exeter:
Tier 2 – report from Andrew Johnson
Tier 4 – implications and actions Amelia Mansfield
5
IT systems – Home Office and integration with SITS
AM
6
INTO Exeter – information integration and joining up systems
for accurate admissions and reporting
7
Nominated users – roles and responsibilities
8
Offer letters and on-line resources
9
Record Keeping – requirements and responsibilities
10
Monitoring and Reporting
11
Communicating requirements with staff and students
12
Date of next meeting
Minutes
2
Reminder of ToR
SD reminded all of the remit of the group: To provide the University with a Policy and
timetable for compliance with legislation. The University MUST attain and retain an A
rating or our recruitment will suffer dramatically as students will look elsewhere.
3
Update on Implementation of PBS
AM provided a paper on the Phased Implementation Plan. Key details:
- Phase 1: Tier 4 registration by February 2009
- Phase 2, March 2009: Students applying for new visa outside the UK will be
assessed under the new rules:
o Process:
 Offer letters must include specified details including sponsor
license number – this needs to be very clearly highlighted in
letter
 Maintenance requirements will apply
 Qualification documentation must be included with applications
o Changes:
 Student leave will be tied to institution (students need to be
made aware of this!)
 NQF Level 3+ and English language A2+
 Work placements must be 50% tuition and no more than 50%
of course can be work placement
 Will remove intentions and credibility tests currently used by
EC officers
- Phase 3, Autumn 2009: IT system pilot for students switching into Tier 4 in
country and all students applying for extension within UK. New admissions
and reporting requirements will apply to pilot group only.
- Phase 4, February 2010: Full implementation for all affected students and all
affected institutions.
4a
Registration for Exeter: Tier 2
AJ reported that the University has successfully registered for Tier 2 and has been
given an A-rating without inspection. Approximately 65 staff per year go through this
process. Although there is still no detailed information about it, the IT system is due
to go live on 27 November.
Actions: Applicants will have to produce their documentation to the nearest
Embassy for checking and so will need to be thoroughly briefed about the procedure.
4b
Registration for Exeter: Tier 4
According to the Implementation Plan we must register before February 2009. There
were reservations expressed over who should be the Authorising Officer, Key
Contact, Level 1 and Level 2 users and what the responsibility levels were.
UKBA have said that they will not necessarily inspect all institutions at the registration
stage, but we will need to be prepared for an inspection regardless.
UKBA have confirmed that although institutions may not be subject to inspection at
the registration stage, we should expect to receive yearly compliance visits.
Actions:
AM to produce list of Authorising Officers in 94 Group for next meeting.
AM to produce suggested list for Exeter for next meeting.
NP to produce suggested CAS quota for Tier 4.
SD to ensure registration for Tier 4 by 2 February.
5
IT systems – Home Office and integration with SITS
We have to be able to show that we are keeping accurate records of students’ CAS,
arrival and attendance. It was felt that an IT system separate from SITS might be
required for monitoring and flagging up attendance internally. Interim offer letters
including information that will later be part of the CAS will be introduced from March
2009 in line with the new regulations. See discussion for 8.
UKBA have confirmed that their IT system will not initially link up with institutions’
current IT systems, although this may be developed in the future.
Actions:
SM to investigate IT systems other Universities are using for monitoring students and
report to next meeting.
Possible personnel implications of issuing CAS and reporting to be discussed at the
next meeting.
6
INTO Exeter – information integration and joining up systems for
accurate admissions and reporting
INTO reported that a paper will be presented on 26 November regarding a new IT
interface. INTO IT systems (including Brighton admissions office) must be compatible
with Exeter if we are registering as one Sponsor.
Actions:
JB, NP, AM to meet to look into INTO/Exeter IT procedures after 26 November and
report to next meeting.
JB agreed at INTO Operations Meeting 19 November to produce Procedure for
Verifying All Student Qualifications for next PBS meeting.
7
Nominated users – roles and responsibilities
See discussion and actions for 4b
8
Offer letters and on-line resources
AM reported that NP, BJ and she had met to review the visa letter currently produced
for students on acceptance to include the extra information required from March 2009
as laid out in Annex A of the Tier 4 Implementation Plan. This letter will be issued for
the interim period between the initial implementation of the tier in March and the
introduction of the Home Office IT system in either Autumn 2009 or February 2010.
The importance of keeping students up to date was discussed, but NP also
highlighted that we need to anticipate the CAS/record keeping requirements as
accurately as possible now due to the difficulties of altering SITS later on. NP felt that
we were 50% towards complying already. Due to CAS delay, the updated letters will
be issued at the following points:
UG – UF through UCAS
PGT – UF on SITS and when deposit paid
PGR – F on SITS (no deposit)
NP thought that INTO students starting in April would be the first to be affected.
UKBA have now confirmed that multiple CAS are extremely likely, and that an
announcement regarding this should come out in December. Students will be able to
hold multiple CAS, but will have to select one to apply for their visa with. An
institution will be able to check whether a CAS has been activated (i.e. used for an
visa/entry clearance application) but they will not be specifically notified of the
student’s choice.
UKBA have also stated that they must be notified of a student’s withdrawal and that
the student’s current leave will then be curtailed. A letter confirming this will be sent
to the student’s last known address.
Schools should be made aware of the consequences of writing ad hoc offer letters. A
website on general information for staff about immigration regulations is already
planned to go live in January, and PBS information will need to be prominently
featured.
Actions:
AM to ensure that staff website is regularly updated re: PBS
9
Record Keeping – requirements and responsibilities
We will be required to keep the following:
- copies of passports
- copies of visas and/or identity cards
- end date of visa
- correct contact details
- any changes to course/end dates
The copying of passports and visas was trialled during Welcome Week 08.
Currently students are required to keep their contact details current through the
student portal. This needs to be made more explicit.
UKBA has confirmed that they expect us to maintain records as above for all nonEEA students, regardless of whether or not they fall under PBS or Tier 4 (i.e. student
visitors, students on marriage or dependant visas.)
Actions:
SM to investigate possibility of flagging students who have changed their address
and ways of keeping an archive of previous addresses
10
Monitoring and Reporting
Institutions are being left to decide the 10 ‘key contact points’ without much guidance.
It was felt that these should be across the academic year, probably front loaded
before Christmas and that they should include a number of different interactions.
RL voiced a concern that the group should avoid making demands on Schools to
keep registers in seminars or make seminars compulsory as this would change the
pedagogical ethos of studying in HE. Schools should instead be able to choose from
the list interactions they thought were appropriate but that these will vary from UG to
PGT and PGR. Interactions could include welcome talk, assignments, exams. We
questioned how Schools should deal with remote study PhD and whether interactions
had to be face to face.
UKBA have since confirmed that interactions do not have to be face to face and that
they will impose no specific timeframes on institutions. Their current stance is that
they are happy for universities to focus on progressive contact points rather than
attendance points. This suggests that essay submission (even online) and email
contact with supervisors for PhD students will be satisfactory.
The group thought a ‘traffic light’ system would be an excellent response. Students
were flagged at 5 non attendance and contacted by the School. This needs to be
separated from the reporting officer to maintain a welfare angle. 9 missed points
would involve a more formal interview with a senior member of staff.
The group agreed that missed interactions needed to be passed onto the reporting
officer quickly as the report needed to be made to the HO within 10 days.
SM asked if there was a budget attached to this project. SD confirmed that if a
perfect system was found by an outside supplier or recommended by the group that
resources would be investigated.
Actions: see action points for 5
AM will consult with schools regarding what touchpoints they already monitor and
what touchpoints are likely to be compliant and will report back to the next meeting.
11
Communicating requirements with staff and students
It is important that information is communicated thoroughly to students and staff but
but it was felt that at the moment there was not enough information to safely do that.
Presentations to Schools as soon as appropriate and web information to students.
12
Date of next meeting
Suggested date: Friday 16 January. AM to contact members regarding availability.