New Points-Based System for Immigration

- what it means for UK private colleges and international students

As many of you are aware, it has been widely reported in the press that on 24th July 2007 the Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education Bill Rammell announced a major shake-up of immigration rules pertaining to private Colleges in the UK . In order to operate legally and to attract genuine students from abroad, it will be essential not only to be registered as an education provider with the DIUS (Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills; formerly the DfES), but also to seek formal accreditation by one of three approved accrediting bodies. Here are two links to the news:

BBC

Guardian

The articles above unfortunately fail to mention who the accrediting bodies approved by the Home Office actually are, but we can now confirm that the British Accreditation Council is one of them and indeed, after 23 years of providing inspection and accreditation services to Independent Further and Higher Education, both in the UK and internationally, undoubtedly one of the most experienced.

Here is an extract from the DIUS press release:

“Any college recruiting students from abroad will in future need to be registered on a new Home Office Sponsors’ Register. To qualify for the register they will have to show they have been accredited by an approved body … The following accreditation bodies have been approved to accredit private educational institutions before they can apply to register on the Home Office’s PBS Sponsor Register:

The British Accreditation Council (BAC) which offers a more general accreditation service to cover a wide range of different educational establishments and their courses … [as opposed to the English Language-specific Accreditation UK service] ”

There are two things that the new rules will mean for Colleges. The first is that the accreditation cycle will change slightly: full accreditation will now be awarded to Colleges for a period of four years rather than five, an adjustment which will be phased in gradually over the next two years. For Colleges already accredited by BAC, this may mean that they are re-inspected at an earlier date than expected in the run-up to 2009.

The second is that as the 2009 deadline approaches, BAC is likely to experience a last-minute rush from unaccredited Colleges making late applications. We are friendly and approachable, and would like to urge new Colleges intending to apply to make their applications with the utmost alacrity, to ensure that inspections can be conveniently scheduled and that the accreditation process can be completed in good time. For more information on becoming accredited, please explore the rest of this website, where you will find details of the inspection process, the criteria for accreditation and a downloadable application form (click on the “Downloads” link on the left-hand side menu).

We at the BAC would like to take this opportunity to thank our accredited Colleges for their support and loyalty over the past 23 years, and we look forward to further developing fruitful and rewarding relationships with you all. Equally, we welcome new applications and look forward to building and expanding the best and most reputable list of accredited, independent Colleges in the UK and across the globe.