The attached process manual

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Process Manual
Processes and Procedures for
International (Non-EEA) Tier-4
Sponsored Students
Carol Witts
Student Support & Records Manager
Student & Registry Services
June 2013
Tier-4 Processes & Procedures
Table of Contents
Issuing a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
a)
b)
c)
Pre-Sessional Courses
Main Degree
For an extension / new visa during the course
Visa Advice and Assistance
Verification of Visa and Student’s identity on arrival at SOAS
Supplementary Study at SOAS
Monitoring Student’s attendance
Re-Registration
Changes to Student’s Programme of Study
Home Office requests for information
Use of the SMS
Appendices
Appendix A
SOAS Tier-4 Officers and their roles
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Tier-4 Processes & Procedures
Issuing a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
a. Pre-Sessional Courses
The issuing of a Confirmation of Acceptance for Students (CAS) for students attending a PreSessional Course is carried out by the Level 1 User in IFCELS (currently DL).
Information to be verified:
Before a CAS is issued, the following information must be obtained and verified:
 Status of offer for Main Degree (if applicable)
If the student has an unconditional offer for their main degree at SOAS, which will follow on
directly from the Pre-Sessional Course, they can be issued with a CAS to cover both the PreSessional Course and the Main Degree.
Such CAS’s should be issued by Admissions only.
 Status of offer for Pre-Sessional Course
The student must have an unconditional offer for the Pre-Sessional Course and unless they
also have an unconditional offer for their Main Degree (see above point), they can only be
issued with a CAS for the Pre-Sessional Course.
 Current Passport
Before a CAS can be issued a copy of their current Passport must be seen, which must be
valid. A copy should be taken of the photo page
 Current Visa
If the student is currently in the UK, they must already have a visa, which must be seen. If they
currently hold a Tier-4 visa on sponsorship by another institution, they will be able to commence
the programme with us, but only if they have applied for a new visa before their current visa
expires.
If the student is not currently in the UK, a copy must be seen of any previous visas they have
held
If they hold a different type of visa, a check must be made as to whether they are permitted to
study on that visa – if so, and the visa extends long enough, a CAS may not be necessary.
A copy must be taken of their current visa.
 English Language competency
To attend a pre-sessional course, students must have reached an English Language
competency of level B1 on the CEFR.
They must therefore provide evidence of this by means of an English language test. Expected
academic results are not acceptable.
 Academic Progression
Before we issue a CAS a check must be made on what study they have had in the UK
previously. In most cases a CAS will only be issued where the student is studying with us on a
programme which is at a higher level than their last programme studied in the UK (progression).
In exceptional circumstances, a CAS may be issued to a student who is studying at the same
level as previous study in the UK (this must be fully explained on the Home Office Sponsor
Management System (SMS)). It is very unusual to issue a CAS to a student who will be
studying on a level lower to that previously studied in the UK.
 Length of Study in the UK
Students are only permitted to study in the UK for a limited number of years. The maximum
number of years is as follows:
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Study at below NQF level 6 – maximum of 3 years since the age of 18
Study at NQF level 6 or above – maximum of 5 years – there are exemptions to this and the
current Home Office guidance must be checked for the current limitations and exemptions.
(see also http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/studying/adult-students/howlong/)
Before a CAS is issued, a check must be made on the number of years the student has
previously studied in the UK and add on the length of study they will have with SOAS on their
Pre-Sessional and Main Degree programmes. If this exceeds the maximum number of years
permitted by the Home Office, a CAS cannot be issued.
Information to be entered onto Home Office SMS
Full information must be entered onto the SMS and must be carefully checked before submission.
Information to be entered onto UNIT-e
Once a CAS has been issued, information must be entered onto UNIT-e, ensuring that the CAS
number is shown against the Programme of Study Aim (POSA).
Documentation to be sent to the student
Once the information has been recorded on UNIT-e, the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies
must be provided to the student to enable them to make their visa application. If the CAS has
been issued using the Bulk Upload facility, there is a report that can be run to produce this
information in a format that can be sent to the student.
If the CAS has been issued manually, there is the ability to print off the CAS once it has been
issued – by printing to .pdf, the document can be saved and then emailed to the student.
It is important that the CAS information sent to the student is NOT re-typed, as it is very easy to
make a mistake and the student must have exactly the same information as has been entered onto
the SMS, otherwise their visa will be refused.
Students should be provided with contact details for the International Student & Welfare Advisor
who can provide advice and assistance in their visa application.
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Tier-4 Processes & Procedures
Issuing a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
b.
Main Degree
The issuing of a Confirmation of Acceptance for Students (CAS) for students who will be attending
an Undergraduate or Postgraduate Taught programme is carried out by the Admissions Team.
For students who will be attending a Postgraduate Research programme, the CAS is issued by the
Research Admissions Team (in Registry).
Information to be verified:
Before a CAS is issued, the following information must be obtained and verified:
 Status of offer
The student must have an unconditional offer for their Degree programme.
 Current Passport
Before a CAS can be issued a copy of their current Passport must be seen, which must be
valid. A copy should be taken of the photo page
 Current Visa
If the student is currently in the UK, they must already have a visa, which must be seen. If they
currently hold a Tier-4 visa on sponsorship by another institution, they will be able to commence
the programme with us, but only if they have applied for a new visa before their current visa
expires.
If the student is not currently in the UK, a copy must be seen of any previous visas they have
held
If they hold a different type of visa, a check must be made as to whether they are permitted to
study on that visa – if so, and the visa extends long enough, a CAS may not be necessary.
A copy must be taken of their current visa.
 English Language competency
To attend a Degree course with us, students must have reached an English Language
competency of B2 on the CEFR.
They must therefore provide evidence of this by means of an English language test, unless we
have assessed this in another way. Evidence must be kept on how we have assessed the
language competency.
 Academic Progression
Before we issue a CAS a check must be made on what study they have had in the UK
previously. In most cases we can only issue a CAS where the student is studying with us on a
programme which is at a higher level than their last programme studied in the UK (progression).
In exceptional circumstances, we may issue a CAS to a student who is studying at the same
level as previous study in the UK (this must be fully explained on the Home Office SMS). It is
very unusual to issue a CAS to a student who will be studying on a level lower to that previously
studied in the UK.
 Length of Study in the UK
Students are only permitted to study in the UK for a limited number of years. The maximum
number of years is as follows:
Study at below NQF level 6 – maximum of 3 years since the age of 18
Study at NQF level 6 or above – maximum of 5 years – there are exemptions to this and the
current Home Office guidance must be checked for the current limitations and exemptions.
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(see also http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/studying/adult-students/howlong/)
Before a CAS is issued, a check must be made on the number of years the student has
previously studied in the UK and add on the length of study they will have with SOAS on their
Pre-Sessional and Main Degree programmes. If this exceeds the maximum number of years
permitted by the Home Office, a CAS cannot be issued.
Information to be entered onto Home Office SMS
Full information must be entered onto the SMS and must be carefully checked before submission.
Information to be entered onto UNIT-e
Once a CAS has been issued, information must be entered onto UNIT-e, ensuring that the CAS
number is shown against the Programme of Study Aim (POSA).
Documentation to be sent to the student
Once the information has been recorded on UNIT-e, the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies
must be provided to the student to enable them to make their visa application. If the CAS has
been issued using the Bulk Upload facility, there is a report that can be run to produce this
information in a format that can be sent to the student.
If the CAS has been issued manually, there is the ability to print off the CAS once it has been
issued – by printing to .pdf, the document can be saved and then emailed to the student.
It is important that the CAS information sent to the student is NOT re-typed, as it is very easy to
make a mistake and the student must have exactly the same information as has been entered onto
the SMS, otherwise their visa will be refused.
Students should be provided with contact details for the International Student & Welfare Advisor
who can provide advice and assistance in their visa application.
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Tier-4 Processes & Procedures
Issuing a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
c.
For an extension / new visa during the course
The issuing of a Confirmation of Acceptance for Students (CAS) for current students whose visa
has expired during their studies is carried out by the Student Support & Records Team in the
Registry.
Information to be verified:
Before a CAS is issued, the following information must be verified (should be held in the student’s
file and copies of ID taken from enrolment of that year):
 Current Passport
Before a CAS can be issued a copy of their current Passport must be seen, which must be
valid. A copy should be held already with the ID copies taken at enrolment, but must be
verified.
 Current Visa
As the student is currently studying with us; they must already have a visa, which must be seen.
They must apply for a new visa before their current visa expires; otherwise they risk being
classed as an Overstayer by the Home Office. Once a student is an overstayer, it is probable
that future visa applications will be refused.
If they currently hold a Tier-4 visa on sponsorship by another institution, the case should be
referred to the Student Support & Records Manager before any further action is taken
A copy of the visa should be held already with the ID copies taken at enrolment, but must be
verified.
 English Language competency
To attend a Degree course with us, students must have reached an English Language
competency of B2 on the CEFR.
They must therefore provide evidence of this by means of an English language test, unless we
have assessed this in another way. Evidence must be kept on how we have assessed the
language competency.
 Academic Progression
The Academic Progression verification will have been made before any original CAS was made
and details will be in the Student’s file.
However, if they commenced their course on a different type of visa and this is the first CAS we
are being asked to issue, a check must be made on what study they have had in the UK
previously. In most cases we can only issue a CAS where the student is studying with us on a
programme which is at a higher level than their last programme studied in the UK (progression).
In exceptional circumstances, we may issue a CAS to a student who is studying at the same
level as previous study in the UK (this must be fully explained on the Home Office SMS). It is
very unusual to issue a CAS to a student who will be studying on a level lower to that previously
studied in the UK.
 Length of Study in the UK
Students are only permitted to study in the UK for a limited number of years. The maximum
number of years is as follows:
Study at below NQF level 6 – maximum of 3 years since the age of 18
Study at NQF level 6 or above – maximum of 5 years – there are exemptions to this and the
current Home Office guidance must be checked for the current limitations and exemptions.
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(see also http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/studying/adult-students/howlong/)
Again, this check will have been made before any original CAS was issued and the details will
be in the Student’s file.
If the student commenced their course on a different type of visa and this is the first CAS we are
being asked to issue, a check must be made on the number of years the student has previously
studied in the UK and add on the length of study they will have with SOAS on their PreSessional and Main Degree programmes. If this exceeds the maximum number of years
permitted by the Home Office, a CAS cannot be issued.
Information to be entered onto Home Office SMS
Full information must be entered onto the SMS and must be carefully checked before submission.
Information to be entered onto UNIT-e
Once a CAS has been issued, information must be entered onto UNIT-e, ensuring that the CAS
number is shown against the Programme of Study Aim (POSA).
Documentation to be sent to the student
Once the information has been recorded on UNIT-e, the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies
must be provided to the student to enable them to make their visa application.
The CAS should be printed off (print to .pdf) from the Home Office SMS and email to the student.
It is important that the CAS information sent to the student is NOT re-typed, as it is very easy to
make a mistake and the student must have exactly the same information as has been entered onto
the SMS, otherwise their visa will be refused.
Students should be provided with contact details for the International Student & Welfare Advisor
who can provide advice and assistance in their visa application.
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Visa Advice and Assistance
The only member of SOAS staff who is permitted to give Visa and Immigration advice is John
Hitchman (International Student & Welfare Advisor).
Students, who are uncertain of their visa requirements, need advice on any part of making their
visa application, or who want their application checked prior to submission must be referred to
John, who will make an appointment to meet with the student.
Any staff who have queries can also raise these with John, but his priority is to provide advice and
assistance to the students.
If there is any uncertainty on whether it is permitted to issue a CAS, or there is a need for someone
else to verify documentation provided in advance of the CAS being issued can contact Carol Witts
in the Registry who is the Key Contact for the Home Office and has Tier-4 compliance
responsibilities for the School.
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Verification of Visa and Student’s identity on arrival at SOAS
New Students
When students arrive at SOAS for their formal enrolment, they are required to provide their
passport and visa for verification purposes.
The enrolment staff will take a copy of the appropriate pages of these documents and will date and
sign them to show when verified. These copies are kept by the Registry for use as required.
Students who do not show these documents will not be enrolled onto their programme.
In some instances, students may be in the process of applying for their visa – full information is
provided to them on the Welcome Week webpages on what they should keep in the way of
evidence to bring with them to enrolment. They are required to provide a photocopy of their
passport and evidence that they have made a visa application (showing what type of visa and the
sponsor of SOAS). If this is seen the student is enrolled as a Time-limited enrolment and will be
contacted by the Student Support & Records Manager on a regular basis to ascertain the progress
with their visa application. Once the visa has been granted the students present the visa to the
Registry staff.
Students whose visa expires before the end of the course will be contacted at least 3 months
before the expiry date to remind them that they need to make a visa application.
Details of the visa are recorded on UNIT-e.
Students are not permitted to enrol in the following circumstances:

They have a Tier-4 visa, but for a different sponsor (Sponsor number should be
TCQ09G6P6).

They have a visa for the pre-sessional course, but we have not issued them with a CAS for
the main degree.

They have a visa, but have forgotten to bring it with them.
Returning Students
Returning students are not normally required to enrol in person at the start of each year, but
students on a Tier-4 visa are required to re-register at the Registry Office at Vernon Square in the
first few weeks of each session. They are required to present their passport and visa and to verify
their contact details.
Recording and storage of Visa documents is kept in the same way as it is for new students.
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Supplementary Study at SOAS
SOAS is able to permit students sponsored by other institutions to attend for supplementary study.
SOAS will ensure that the sponsoring institution is aware and has no objections to the student
attending SOAS during their current sponsorship term.
It is not normal to permit this if the supplementary study is at the end of the previous study.
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Monitoring Student’s attendance
Attendance registers are taken by academic staff through the programme for all students. Any
concerns on a student’s attendance from the academic are reported to the Faculty Office and to
the Registry for further consideration.
Students on a Tier-4 visa, whose attendance has been raised as a concern, are contacted by the
Registry to arrange for a meeting to discuss the situation.
The Registry also carries out an audit of attendance during the 2nd term of each session and where
attendance is not as it should be, will invite students in for an interview to discuss the situation.
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Re-Registration
There is an annual re-registration audit of all Tier-4 students each year in term 2. This audit
reviews attendance and verifies contact details and is carried out by the Registry under the
authority of the Director of Student & Registry Services.
Attendance (UG/PGT)
Faculties ensure that all registers have been entered onto the online system and a report is run by
Registry to provide details of students with unauthorized absences. Where the data returned is not
clear, the Faculty will be provided with details of the student and their courses whereupon the
Faculties will investigate and report back to Registry.
Students on a compulsory Year Abroad will be expected to make contact during the re-registration
period to confirm that they are still undertaking their Year Abroad.
Registry will be responsible for reporting (via the SMS) any students who are being withdrawn due
to non-attendance (10 consecutive unauthorised absences).
Attendance (Language Centre and IFCELS)
Programme Administrators will ensure that their attendance information is recorded on
spreadsheets and will provide the appropriate spreadsheet to the Registry on the re-registration
date.
Registry will then liaise with the Programme Administrators on any action that needs to be taken
regarding reporting to the Home Office.
Contact Verification – Non Halls
A letter will be sent through the post to every Tier-4 sponsored student, who is NOT resident in a
Halls of Residence, with a form to be completed showing the current UK address information
currently held on UNIT-e. Next of Kin information will also be provided to ensure we have the most
up to date information (although this is for the benefit of SOAS and not a requirement of the Home
Office).
Students are required to update and sign the form and return it to the Registry (either at
Admissions, Russell Square; or Student Support & Records, Vernon Square) together with a copy
of any official letter showing their name and address. Language Centre students will return their
documentation to the Language Centre and IFCELS students will return to the IFCELS office.
Students who do not return the form and provide proof of their address will have their attendance
checked and if attending, the Faculty will be asked to obtain the documents from them in person.
Students who are unable to provide proof of their address will be contacted by the Registry to see
how this can be facilitated.
Contact Verification – Halls (UG, PGT)
Registry will contact Sanctuary Housing with a list of sponsored students who are registered as
living in Halls to ask for formal confirmation that they are still living at the address given. Any
student who is no longer living in Halls will be contacted as above.
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Changes to Student’s Programme of Study
During their registration, students are able to make changes to their study arrangements, within the
current regulations. The requests are authorised by an appropriate academic (for Degree
Transfers and Repeat Years) and passed to the Student Support & Records Manager for actioning
on UNIT-e.
If the student is sponsored by SOAS for their Tier-4 visa, a sponsor note is entered onto the SMS
to provide confirmation to the Home Office on the status of the student as detailed below:
Degree Transfer:
Notification of the change of programme and confirmation of any other
details that have been changed due to this change.
Repeat Year:
No notification is required, but the student is informed that they will
need to apply for a new CAS before their current visa expires to apply
for an extended visa.
Leave of Absence:
Sponsorship is withdrawn with note on when they are expected to
return. Student is informed that they need to apply for a new CAS
before they return the following year.
Repeat Courses:
If the student is attending throughout the year, sponsorship continues
and no report is required.
If the student is attending for part of the year commencing from term
1, no action is required until the end of the term when a report is
made that sponsorship is withdrawn. Student is informed that they
need to apply for a new CAS before they return the following year.
If the student is attending for part of the year, but NOT in term 1,
sponsorship is withdrawn and the student must have an alternative
means to resume studies as a part time student in term 2 or 3.
Change to Mode of Study:
If a Tier-4 sponsored student transfers from Full Time to Part Time,
their sponsorship is withdrawn and they must have an alternative visa
to enable them to continue with their studies.
Withdrawal:
Sponsorship is withdrawn
A shared spreadsheet of all sponsor notes and CAS amendments is kept and updated by all SOAS
staff who have responsibility for such reporting, to ensure that the School can clearly see what has
been reported to the Home Office, by whom and when.
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Home Office requests for information
The Home Office sends request for information to the Student Support & Records Manager.
Where these requests are for Undergraduate or Postgraduate Taught students, the information is
provided back to the Home Office by the Student Support & Records Manager.
Where the requests are for students on other programmes of studies (see below), the email is
forwarded to the department administrator and they are required to provide the information to the
Home Office within the time-scales indicated in the email:

Postgraduate Research

IFCELS

Language Centre
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Use of the SMS
What is the sponsorship management system?
• The sponsorship management system is a secure IT system (operated by the UK Border
Agency) which enables licensed sponsors to bring migrants to the UK and manage them.
• As SOAS wants to recruit international i.e. (Non-EEA students) into the UK for the purposes of
study, we have to use the system to assign a Certificate of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) to all
students we intend to sponsor for a Tier 4 (General) visa.
Tier 4 Sponsorship License
• UK institutions have to be licensed sponsors in order to get access to the system. SOAS has
held a Tier 4 Sponsor license since February 2009 and has Highly Trusted Sponsor status.
• The Home Office can access and view all the information SOAS staff enter onto the system.
Who can use the sponsorship management system?
• Only licensed sponsors have access to the sponsorship management system.
• Within SOAS we have designated and authorised users of the SMS, operating at different
levels.
• All users need access to the internet and an email address.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader is also required to view payment notes.
Using the system
Only Authorised Level 1 and Level 2 Users have access to the Home Office SMS
The Tier 4 User Manual can be accessed be online, using the following URL (users should always
refer to the manual on the Home Office site when identifying the current guidance and
procedures):
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/employersandsponsors/pbsguidance/
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Appendix A - SOAS Tier-4 Officers and their roles
The Authorising Officer (David Christmas - Director of Student & Registry Services)
 All sponsors holding or applying for a license must appoint an Authorising Officer.
 An institution can only have ONE Authorising Officer.
 Institutions are fully responsible for the actions of their Authorising Officer; it is therefore
imperative that this position is given to a senior and competent person within SOAS.
 The Authorising Officer must be a paid member of staff or must be engaged by SOAS as an
'office holder'. This includes people who hold:
o a statutory appointment (for example, a registered company director or secretary, a board
member of a statutory body, a judge or a tribunal member)
o an appointment under the internal constitution of the organisation (for example, a club
treasurer or a trade union secretary)
o an appointment under a trust deed (for example, a trustee)
o an ecclesiastical appointment (for example, a member of the clergy)
The Authorising Officer does not have automatic access to the SMS. If they need access,
they must be set up as a User. This will mean that they have two roles, as Authorising Officer and
User.
The Key Contact (Carol Witts - Student Support & Records Manager)
 The Key Contact is the person who acts as the main point of contact between The School and
the Home Office.
 Each institution can only have one Key Contact.
 The Key Contact will be the person the Home Office will contact if they have any queries about
any of the student applications, the documents sent or the payments.
 The Authorising Officer can also act as the Key Contact
 It is good practice to appoint a different person as the Key Contact.
 The Key Contact does not have automatic access to the sponsorship management system. If
the Key Contact needs access to the system, they can be set up as a User.
 The Key Contact must be based in the United Kingdom. Institutions that have overseas
branches, can only appoint a Key Contact who is based in a United Kingdom branch of the
organisation.
 The Key Contact cannot be:
o
a contractor;
o
a consultant who is contracted for a specific project;
o
an employee of a third party organisation used to deliver all or part of the human resource
function;
o
a temporary member of staff supplied by an agency.
Level 1 User
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
All Level 1 Users must be selected and authorised by SOAS’s Authorising Officer.

Once logged on, a Level 1 User can set up a structure of Users within the institution, to
manage the allocation of Confirmation of Acceptance for Study (CAS) and their administrative
role.

It is good practice to ensure all Level 2 Users designated by any Level 1 User are approved by
either the Authorising Officer or the Key Contact.
A Level 1 User can:

Add Level 1 and Level 2 Users or remove them

Assign Confirmation of Acceptance for Study (CAS)

Ask for an increase in SOAS’s annual allocation of CAS

Tell the Home Office about minor changes to SOAS’s details

Use the 'change of circumstances' section to ask the Home Office to record bigger changes
in SOAS’s circumstances

Report student activity to the Home Office (such as telling the Home Office if a student
goes missing or does not attend their course)

Withdraw Confirmation of Acceptance for Study

Manage study addresses

Amend User details.
At SOAS, the following tasks should NOT be carried out by a Level 1 User, unless
instructed by the Authorising Officer or Key Contact:

Add Level 1 and Level 2 Users or remove them

Ask for an increase in SOAS’s annual allocation of CAS

Tell the Home Office about changes to SOAS’s details

Use the 'change of circumstances' section to ask the Home Office to record bigger changes
in SOAS’s circumstances

Manage study addresses
A Level 1 User can search for a CAS, and can view all assigned, used, expired, withdrawn
and partially finished CAS entered by any User.
When a new Level 1 User is added to the system, the request is sent to the Home Office. If the
Home Office approves the request, confirmation is sent to the Authorising Officer. The Authorising
Officer will provide the User ID to the new Level 1 User and the password will be sent directly to
the Level 1 User by the Home Office.
A Level 1 User must never disclose their password to anyone else. If they do, the Home Office
may downgrade the sponsor’s rating or withdraw the sponsor's license altogether.
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Level 2 Users
An institution can appoint as many Level 2 Users as they need; Level 2 Users have a more
restricted range of permissions than Level 1 Users. As the Authorising Officer is responsible for
the actions of the Users, it is advisable to keep the number of Level 2 Users to the minimum
necessary for effective business operation.
If an institution has overseas branches, the Authorising Officer can only appoint Level 2 Users who
are based in a UK branch of the institution. A representative in the UK may also act as a Level 2
User.
A Level 2 User can:

Assign CASs

Report student activity (for example, if they fail to enrol).

A Level 2 User can only search for a CAS that they have entered.

When a new Level 2 User is added, the new User ID can be found in the system
immediately and should be passed on. The password will be sent directly to the User by
email.

A Level 2 User must never disclose their password to anyone else. If they do, the Home
Office can downgrade the sponsor rating or withdraw an institution’s sponsor's license
altogether.
Level 2 Users can be:

a paid staff member or office holder (someone who holds an unpaid job);

an employee of a third-party organisation used to deliver all or part of your human resource
system; or

a member of staff supplied to you by an employment agency.
They must not be:

a contractor, or a consultant who is contracted for a specific project; or

an undischarged bankrupt.
Appointment of SMS Level 1 and Level 2 Users
When a new user is added to the system, the request is sent to the Home Office. If the Home
Office approves the request, confirmation is sent to the Authorising Officer. The Authorising
Officer will provide the User ID to the new user and the password will be sent directly to the user
by the Home Office.
A user must never disclose their password to anyone else. If they do, the Home Office may
downgrade the sponsor’s rating or withdraw the sponsor's license altogether.
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Tier-4 Processes & Procedures
SOAS must be prepared for any spot-checks that may be carried out on any or all staff registered
as Level 1 Users and even on the Key Contact or Authorising Officer, to verify their identity and
credentials and check for criminal records or unpaid civil penalties.
SOAS should therefore obtain the following information from ALL its appointed Level 1 (and Level
2) Users:
a.
Copy of passport or ID card
b.
Copy of academic qualifications
c.
Evidence of eligibility to work in the UK (this will be covered by the passport in most
cases)
Last updated cw16 / June 2013
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