The role
Reporting to the Visa & Immigration Compliance Manager, the Student Immigration Compliance Officer will focus on the operational aspects of complying with the University’s duties as a sponsor under the Student Route of the Points Based System. You will liaise regularly with the University current students and future student visa applicants/students to maintain up to date student and CAS records for all our visa students studying in the UK on Student route visas.
The ideal candidate will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills and have a minimum of one year’s experience working in a visa and immigration role in the UK Higher Education Sector.
The ideal candidate will be a seasoned and proactive student sponsor compliance specialist who can provide dedicated expertise and take ownership of all matters pertaining to student visa compliance and ensure the University is fully compliant with the UKVI rules and its sponsorship duties. They will serve as a centralized resource, offering comprehensive knowledge and guidance on these subjects to the visa team and other teams. They will provide full support to the director of visa compliance on all tasks.
Duties and Responsibilities
CAS ISSUANCE
- To check all CAS requests and the corresponding documents thoroughly to ensure that only genuine students who meet the requirements of student visa are issued with a CAS
- To work closely with the Immigration Visa Compliance Manager/Senior Visa Compliance Officer and other team members to ensure that all CASs are assigned correctly and within agreed deadlines.
- To track all the pending documents for CAS issuance. This will require communication with all students who have accepted an offer and paid a deposit
- To obtain regular updates on the progress of their student visa application, copies of all the student visas granted.
- To provide the University with accurate up-to-date lists of all students issued with CAS’ on student route visa.
- To notify the Visa & Immigration Compliance Manager of all students who are “at-risk” of failing to meet the CAS issuance requirements under the Student Visa, and to follow up or refer students for additional support. This will require contact with the students and in some cases, refer the students to different departments for additional academic and general student support.
- To communicate regularly with students who are applying for the student visa to ensure that our student records are updated.
- To liaise with key external stakeholders as required, in particular the UK Visa and Immigration.
- To assist the OGS UK team in contributing to the development and update of immigration related information for prospective international students.
VISA COMPLIANCE
- To work closely with the internal stakeholders to ensure that students and offer holders are aware of the requirements and responsibilities of gaining and maintaining a Student Visa.
- To provide assistance and support to the OGS UK Team to ensure the University is fully compliant with UKVI sponsorship duties.
- To monitor and evaluate visa student files and undertake regular audit checks to ensure that they meet the UKVI requirements.
- To check all CAS requests and the corresponding documents thoroughly to ensure that only genuine students who meet the requirements of student visa are issued with a CAS.
- Work as a Level 1 user on SMS (Sponsor Management System) to issue CAS.
- To assist with the enrolment and re-enrolment of international students.
- To monitor and report changes in student circumstances to the Visa Compliance Manager consistently.
- Monitor student academic engagement, communicate and meet with students in relation to their academic engagement and compile academic engagement reports for the Visa & Immigration Compliance Manager.
- To compile reports, annual monitoring and trend-data associated with visa monitoring and other aspects of UKVI compliance.
- To maintain and update the UKVI compliance information across all communication platforms.
- To liaise with staff across the University and Northeastern University ensure relevant and timely information is provided to prospective and current students and the staff who interface with them.
- To assist the Visa & Immigration Compliance Manager with the review and maintenance of the University policies and processes relating to Visa and Immigration Compliance.
- To provide basic advice to prospective students related to CAS or visa process and those registered at the University.
ATTENDANCE MONITORING
- Providing full support to Attendance Monitoring lead in day-to-day attendance monitoring duties.
- Running reports, organising and attending attendance hearings with students
- Identifying any challenges in the current process and proposing changes.
OTHER DUTIES
- To undertake any other duties commensurate with the level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the necessary experience and/or training
- To provide support to the Visa & Immigration Compliance Team with the relevant checks prior to enrolment.
- To keep up to date with Higher Education and Immigration rules and regulations.
- To foster a positive work environment with a good team spirit, including the wider admissions, recruitment and marketing team and all other departments.
Person specification criteria
Essential: Experience of working as an efficient team member and independently; excellent written and oral communication skills; well-developed organisational skills and relationship-building skills, to work with others and a high level of attention to detail; experience of UKVI student visa compliance and relevant sponsor regulations.
EXPERIENCE
Essential: At least two-year experience of working for the UK Higher Education Sector – Experience of CAS issuance, attendance Monitoring and other post enrolment student visa compliance duties.
Desirable: Experience of working with a US university in the UK and dealing with a large number of the US international students. Experience of Academic Engagement Monitoring via Seats or a similar system.
EDUCATION, QUALIFICATIONS AND TRAINING
Essential: An Undergraduate degree
Additional Information
Enquiries
- Informal enquiries may be made to Poppy Kirkbride, Visa & Immigration Compliance Manager at ogsuk@nulondon.ac.uk However, all applications must be made in accordance with the application process specified.