The Home Office revoked the Bloomsbury Institute's licence to sponsor international students on 5 August 2026; it can no longer sponsor new Student Route students, and existing students are not affected immediately.
The Home Office announced on 6 August 2026 that the Bloomsbury Institute, a higher education provider in central London, has had its licence to sponsor international students revoked. The licence was revoked on Wednesday 5 August, after the institute failed the Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA).
The BCA is an annual check that all sponsors of Student Visa holders must pass. It measures the visa refusal rate, the course enrolment rate and the course completion rate. At the time of this assessment, sponsors had to meet three thresholds: a visa refusal rate below 10%, an enrolment rate of at least 90% and a completion rate of at least 85%.
The assessment was carried out under the thresholds that applied before the compliance standards were strengthened on 1 June 2026. The Home Office says the institute would also have failed the new, stricter standards.
The Bloomsbury Institute has been removed from the Register of Student Sponsors. It can no longer sponsor new international students under the Student Route.
Existing students
The Home Office says its priority is to minimise disruption for students already enrolled. The institute will be permitted to continue teaching its current sponsored students for a short period. The source does not give the length of that period.
A small number of students are expected to be unable to finish their course in that window. They will be supported to transfer to another institution. If they choose not to transfer, they will need to apply for another visa route for which they are eligible, or leave the UK.
Students at the institute who are not on a Student Visa, including international students with other forms of permission and domestic students, are not affected by the revocation.
The Home Office will work with the institution, the Department for Education, the Office for Students and relevant sector bodies. Further advice for affected students will be available shortly, and students can also speak to the Bloomsbury Institute directly.
What this means for applicants
Nobody can now be sponsored for a Student Visa by the Bloomsbury Institute. Current Student Visa holders there can keep studying for the short period the institute is permitted to teach them. Those who cannot finish in that time can transfer to another institution with support, apply for another route for which they are eligible, or leave the UK. Students not on a Student Visa are unaffected.
Sources
- Bloomsbury Institute's student sponsor licence revoked, GOV.UK, Home Office