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UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) Student Route Visa Strategic Group

It is the purpose of the UKVI Student Route Visa Strategic Group to direct and oversee the University’s international strategy as it relates to student visa holders, ensuring institutional competitiveness and success in international student recruitment and engagement while maintaining robust standards of sponsor licence compliance, minimising institutional risk, and embedding compliance into the University’s policies.

The Strategic Group’s responsibilities and decision-making powers are as follows:

  1. To advise SLT and the Vice-Chancellor of the strategic risks and opportunities associated with Student Route Visa compliance.
  2. To direct the preparation of reports to the Audit Committee of Council and to Council itself where required.
  3. To lead and direct the preparation for and management of Home Office compliance audits, ensuring that all data and information required is complete, accurate and accessible.
  4. To take decisions or make recommendations on matters of strategic positioning and balance between commercial and competitive drivers and institutional compliance.
  5. To approve and direct the implementation of major/ institution wide compliance-related process changes and system investments.
  6. To review reports and direct / approve actions to be taken by the UKVI Student Route Visa Compliance Operational Group in response to any internal and/or external UKVI Student Route compliance audits.
  7. To receive and consider any UKVI Student Route Visa compliance action plans, developed by the UKVI Student Route Visa Operational group and ensuring follow-up on issues.
  8. To oversee updates and review recommendations regarding the UKVI Student Route Visa policy and any actions associated to ensuring compliance with the Home Office.
  9. To disseminate any institutional updates to the UKVI Student Route Visa Operational group that may impact processes for monitoring Student Route Visa compliance.
  10. To ensure the appropriate strategic resourcing required for UKVI compliance functions.
  11. To provide strategic oversight of decisions relating to variable recruitment deposits.
  12. To review and provide strategic oversight of matters concerning late arrivals in accordance with UKVI requirements, and to endorse recommendations to the Student Intake Strategy Group (SISG) and the Fees Group for final decision.

Reporting Relationships

The UKVI Student Route Visa Strategic Group reports to the Senior Leadership Team.

Quorum

The quorum for meetings of the UKVI Student Route Visa Strategic Group shall be a third of the membership. 

Decisions outside of the meeting

If any decisions are required to be taken outside of meetings, they will be approved by Chair’s action.

Frequency of meetings

UKVI Student Route Visa Strategic Group usually meets on four occasions during the academic year.

Membership

Chief Operating Officer (Chair)

Lucy Everest

Interim Director of Student Experience and Enhancement

Alison Wells

Director of Student Recruitment, Admissions and Widening Participation

Ian Roberts

Associate Director, Admissions, Enquiries and Fulfilment

Jude King

Faculty Director of Operations Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS)

Kate Jones

Faculty Director of Operations Science and Engineering (S&E)

Vicki Reynolds

Faculty Director of Operations, Health and Life Sciences (HLS)

Niki Sandman

Group Director of IT and Digital

Andrew Male

Head of Student Conduct, Complaints & Compliance

Nicola Casson

Director of Post Graduate Researcher Experience Team

Steve Bickerstaff

English Language Centre representative

Mark Ingarfield

Invited to Attend

Other members may be co-opted or invited to attend for specific meetings at the discretion of the Strategic Group.

 If non-University staff or University staff who are not members of the Strategic Group wish to attend, then a formal written request must be made to the Chair who will then decide whether the attendance at the meeting is appropriate.

A deputy should attend the meeting in the event that a Strategic Group member is unavailable.