Glasgow Caledonian University has licence restored

Glasgow Caledonian said it had addressed all of the UKBA's concerns

Glasgow Caledonian University has had its licence to sponsor foreign students restored by the UK Border Agency.

The licence was temporarily suspended last month after an agency inspection indicated 150 Filipino nursing students had been working almost full-time.

Under immigration rules, students are allowed to work while studying, but only for a maximum of 20 hours a week.

The university said the licence was restored after it had fully addressed the UK Border Agency (UKBA) concerns.

The foreign students at the centre of the affair have been taking a BSc Nursing (Professional Development) course, which involves a large proportion of work-based learning.

Abuse concerns

Following an inspection in April, it was found they were working longer than the permitted 20 hours.

It was understood the students were working full-time in care homes and had only been attending formal studies for one or two days a month instead of the required minimum of 15 hours a week.

This resulted in the university having its Tier 4 licence suspended "following concerns about abuses of the immigration system".

Glasgow Caledonian's principal and vice-chancellor, Professor Pamela Gillies, said the UKBA's concerns had now been addressed.

"This has been a challenging time for our university and we have worked swiftly and constructively with the UKBA.

"The agency has commended us for the way in which we responded to the situation and we are keen to work together with them to share this experience with the sector so that others may avoid this process."

She added: "Our strong international reputation is very important to us and we are grateful for the support and endorsement we received from students, staff, friends and partners as we moved through this process."

About 10% of the university's 17,000 students are from overseas.