Student sponsors face tighter visa refusal and enrolment thresholds, and a Red-Amber-Green rating, in Basic Compliance Assessments applied for on or after 1 June 2026, under Document 3 of the Student sponsor guidance.
Key facts
- Who: Student sponsor licence holders sponsoring students on the Student and Child Student routes
- From: 1 June 2026 (Document 3, version 06/2026, "is to be used from 01/06/2026")
- Source: Student sponsor guidance
Document 3 of the Student sponsor guidance, "Student sponsor compliance", replaces the legacy Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA) framework with a new one. It changes the core requirement thresholds and introduces a Red-Amber-Green (RAG) rating system.
A sponsor must apply for a BCA every 12 months, using the SMS. Applications can be made up to one month before they are due (paragraph 2.8). If a sponsor does not apply in time, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will normally treat this as a serious breach of sponsorship duties and begin licence revocation action. In most cases the sponsor is removed from the Register of Student Sponsors and given 20 working days to make representations (paragraph 2.3).
The core requirements change as follows (paragraph 2.14):
The outcome is a single rating set by the sponsor's lowest-rated metric, not an aggregate (paragraph 2.29). Red means a refusal rate of 5% or more, an enrolment rate under 95%, or a course completion rate under 90%. Amber means a refusal rate from 4% to under 5%, enrolment from 95% to under 96%, or completion from 90% to under 92%.
A first red rating brings an action plan of at least 12 months and a cut in the next Certificate of Sponsorship (CAS) allocation of no less than 10% of previous usage. The sponsor also receives a "Final Warning" that stays active for the next 5 BCAs (paragraphs 2.44 to 2.46).
UKVI will consider it a serious breach if a sponsor fails the core requirements of multiple metrics in one BCA, or receives a second red rating within the next 5 BCAs after a Final Warning, unless paragraph 2.60 applies (paragraphs 2.51 and 2.52). Under paragraph 2.60, UKVI will not revoke the licence if it accepts that exceptional circumstances beyond the sponsor's control caused the failure. Where, after representations, UKVI concludes that the unmet core requirements remain and there are no such circumstances, the licence will be revoked, and there is no right of appeal against that decision (paragraphs 2.57 and 2.58).
An amber-rated sponsor will not be granted more CAS than it previously used until it becomes green rated (paragraph 2.65). It will normally be required to attend engagement meetings, and failure to engage is treated as a serious breach (paragraphs 2.66 to 2.69).
What this means for applicants
Sponsors must apply for each BCA by its due date. Missing it will normally be treated as a serious breach, with licence revocation action to follow. A sponsor rated red or amber faces the consequences set out above, including CAS limits.
A sponsor that wants to challenge a red or amber rating must submit representations within 20 working days of receiving its BCA Outcome Notice (paragraph 2.34). It must show that the data relied on was materially flawed. UKVI will also consider exceptional circumstances, but unless they were material to causing the rating, the rating is unlikely to change on that basis (paragraph 2.33).
Sources
- Student sponsor guidance, UK Visas and Immigration
- Student sponsor compliance (accessible), UK Visas and Immigration