This document sets out the conditions which apply to all immigration advice and visa support carried out by the International Advice Team on behalf of Royal Holloway students and applicants. When using our services, you accept these conditions.

The International Advice Team provides free immigration advice in good faith, based on the information you give us on your current situation.

We endeavour to ensure our advice is accurate, however, it may be subject to change, often at short notice.

We cannot accept responsibility for errors, omissions, consequences arising from the use of our advice or decisions made by the Home Office or other agencies regarding immigration applications.

 

 

Regulation of immigration advice provided by the International Advice Team

All immigration advice in the UK including that which is offered by the International Advice Team at Royal Holloway is regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC).

The OISC provides a Code of Standards and Rules, which set sets out requirements with which immigration professionals must comply.

Royal Holloway is a member of the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) and the Association for International Student Advisors (AISA)  and also follows the UKCISA/AISA Code of Ethics when providing immigration advice.

Only designated members of the International Advice Team (see who we are below) are authorised to provide Royal Holloway students and applicants with immigration advice.

Royal Holloway is permitted to provide immigration advice under a ministerial order, as a licensed sponsor and only to students or applicants applying under an immigration route where the University will act as your sponsor and/or the advice you are seeking is directly related to your Right to Study a course with us (see below for what we can advise on).

 

Who we are, where we are located and how to seek advice from us

 You can find information about the team members within the International Advice Team here

You can find details about where we are located and how to contact us here

 

Who do we advise and what can we provide advice on

We offer confidential, impartial immigration advice to:

• Royal Holloway offer holders, and, if applicable, their dependents
• Current Royal Holloway students, and, if applicable, their dependents

We can advise on cases regarding the following UK visa routes

• The Student visa
• PBS dependant visas where the main applicant is applying for or holds a Royal Holloway sponsored Student visa
• Refusals and Administrative Reviews for applications made under the Student visa route
• The EU Settlement Scheme where it relates to your Right to Study at Royal Holloway
• Visit visas where it relates to your Right to Study at Royal Holloway

The International Advice Team will sign-post you to general resources but is unable to provide detailed immigration advice on the following UK visa routes

• The Graduate visa
• The Skilled Worker visa
• Other post-study work options

We will always refer you to specialist external advice services for cases

• related to any other UK immigration routes not listed above
• where a conflict of interest exists (see below)
• for any non-UK related visa queries.

All advisers within the International Advice Team are trained to provide immigration advice at OISC level 1. Should your case be beyond our level of training then we will refer you to an external, OISC registered immigration adviser.

 

Conflicts of interest

The role of the International Advice Team is to provide immigration advice while also contributing to the protection of the University’s Student visa sponsor license. This means that there may be instances where there is a real or potential conflict of interest when it comes to us offering impartial immigration advice.

The International Advice Team have a duty to report suspected breaches of Student visa conditions to the Student Administration Team for compliance action in line with Royal Holloway’s responsibilities as a Student visa sponsor license holder.

The below is a list of potential conflicts of interest where an adviser would be required to notify Student Administration

• A student discloses that they have worked in breach of their visa conditions
• A student discloses that they have not been engaging with their course as expected and in line with the University’s engagement policies
• Any other information that may put the University’s sponsor license at risk

The International Advice Team will ensure that instances such as the above are minimised. Advisers within the International Advice Team will explain if there is a real or potential conflict of interest and you will be given the opportunity to seek external immigration advice.

 

Confidentiality and data protection

The International Advice Team uses your personal information in order to provide you with immigration advice relevant to your circumstances.

You can find further information about the University’s data protection policies here.

All information provided to the International Advice Team will be treated as confidential.

In some cases, The International Advice Team may need to contact your academic department, or other non-academic departments, to gather information to assist you with your enquiry. Should this be the case, any information regarding your query will be limited to a need-to-know basis.

There are occasions when confidentiality cannot be adhered to, this includes:

• When you have given your consent for the International Advice Team to contact other individuals/organisations on your behalf and disclose information
• Instances where you or someone else are in immediate physical danger 
• If the information is required by law, requested by the police or where the University must disclose it in order to meet its immigration compliance obligations set by the Home Office under the Points Based System 
• As part of an OISC inspection

In some of the above circumstances, we will encourage you to pass on the information yourself and would obtain your consent where possible.

The International Advice Team may decide it is in your best interests to contact organisations, such as the Home Office or UKCISA, for further advice or guidance on your case. We will advise you if we intend to do this and only share your personal data with your consent.

 

Referrals and withdrawals

A member of the International Advice Team will not advise a student if it requires them to act beyond their authorisation or level of training. If we find ourselves in this position, we will inform you immediately in writing and explain the reasons why we are unable to assist you. Where necessary, we will refer your matter to appropriately qualified immigration professionals.

 

Complaints

If you are not happy with our service or the advice provided then we would encourage you to informally contact us to attempt to resolve the issue in the first instance.

If after contacting the International Advice Team, you are not happy with the outcome then please contact Tom Pease, Head of International and Money advice (tom.pease@royalholloway.ac.uk) with any concerns you have.

Any complaint that cannot be resolved by the Head of International and Money Advice will be passed onto the Head of Wellbeing (helen.groenendaal@royalholloway.ac.uk) for consideration.

If having passed through these 3 steps, we have been unable to resolve your complaint then you may pursue it via the formal Royal Holloway complaints procedure.

 

Useful links and external resources

UK Council for International Student Affairs
The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) is the UK's national advisory body serving the interests of international students. They offer a free student advice line.

Tel: +442077889214 (Mon - Fri 1:00pm - 4:00pm)

The Office for Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC)

The OISC regulates the provision of all immigration advice in the UK. You can search their database for information on legal professionals who are registered with the OISC and therefore able to provide immigration advice. Unless otherwise stated, external legal professionals are likely to charge for any consultation or immigration advice provided

Immigration Law Practitioners' Association (ILPA)
Legal professionals who specialise in immigration law are often members of this association. You can search their database for a local solicitor who specialises in the area for which you require assistance. Unless otherwise stated, external legal professionals are likely to charge for any consultation or immigration advice provided

The Law Society
Another professional association for legal professionals within the UK. You can search their database for an immigration law solicitor in your area. Unless otherwise stated, external legal professionals are likely to charge for any consultation or immigration advice provide