UKVI publishes updated Student Sponsor Guidance

UKVI has published updated versions of its Student Sponsor Guidance documents which include amendments to the requirements around the remote delivery of courses.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, UKVI opted to relax the rules in relation to remote learning for international students.  Due to the circumstances, concessions were put in place to allow international students to study remotely without negatively affecting their immigration status. Since the end of the pandemic, there has been debate about international students’ right to be permitted to partake in hybrid learning and this resulted in UKVI receiving backing to construct a remote delivery policy.

The Home Office carried out a consultation into how much of an international student’s course is permitted to be delivered remotely, which was completed in January.  It has now published the amended guidance reflecting the outcome of that consultation with effect from 19 March 2025.  The amended documents can be viewed here: Student sponsor guidance - GOV.UK

The key takeaways from the amended guidance include:

• An international student’s timetable can only have a maximum of 20% “remote delivery” in it as a proportion of the “taught” elements of the course. Special permission can be applied for to allow for a maximum of 40% “remote delivery” learning.
• “Remote delivery” does not solely mean learning that is designed to be off-campus; it includes when students have the option of attending timetabled learning either in-person or remotely.
• An individual student cannot be permitted to attend learning remotely due to unforeseen circumstances (the guidance gives the example of permitting a student to attend remotely due to a car breakdown as unacceptable).  However, the guidance indicates that higher education providers can grant remote delivery for a whole student body where the circumstances apply broadly to the wider cohort, such as where extreme weather closes the whole campus.
• Remote delivery can be used if it is to prevent unlawful discrimination in relation to an international student’s protected characteristics, and provided it is only offered to the relevant student, not to the whole cohort as part of the “course delivery plan”.  In this scenario, universities must ensure they keep up to date records of the evidence, justification and delivery plan of the course for the relevant students in order to produce these at request if an audit is undertaken by UKVI.  Such records must also include the amount of the overall course to be delivered remotely and the duration of the change (if not for the entirety of the course).
• If a student is retaking exams or elements of their course, the percentage of remote delivery must be calculated form the new end date. 
• Activities such as writing dissertations, conducting research, undertaking fieldwork, carrying out work placements and sitting exams do not qualify as “taught” hours and are excluded from the calculation for remote delivery.

If a student’s course ends up exceeding the permitted percentage for remote delivery, the university must stop sponsoring the student and report the issue to UKVI promptly.  This may result in compliance action being taken by UKVI.  It could also give rise to a compensation claim from the student affected.  Universities will therefore want to review their course design to ensure compliance with the new guidelines. 

It is important to note that these changes are about course design.  In other words, if a student chooses to attend remotely more than permitted, that would be an academic engagement issue rather than a breach of the rules on remote delivery.

It must also be remembered that universities still have to follow the requirements in the guidance to ensure that international students are academically engaging throughout the period of leave for which they are being sponsored.  If they do not then UKVI may take compliance action, which includes the ability to suspend or even revoke a student sponsor licence.

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