Probationary sponsors: what became of the licences that were on probation in 2024
“Probationary Sponsor” is the least understood status on the register of licensed student sponsors. It is a full licence: a probationary sponsor can issue a CAS and its students can get visas. But our archive shows how unsettled the status is. Of the 65 licences that were probationary on 30 November 2024, 25 have since moved up to full Student Sponsor status, 11 are still probationary, and 29 are no longer listed at all.
Put another way, 45% of that group has left the register in under two years, against 38% that has graduated out of probation.
What the status is
The Immigration Rules define a Probationary Sponsor simply as a student sponsor recorded with that status on the register. The substance is in the Home Office’s compliance guidance, which treats probationary sponsors more strictly than others: “Any breach by a Probationary Sponsor will be regarded as a serious breach because the sponsor has not completed its probationary period” (paragraph 3.13). For an established sponsor an isolated problem usually leads to an action plan. For a probationary one, the same problem starts from a worse place.
Who is probationary now
On 20 October 2026 there were 63 probationary licences on the register:
| Sponsor type | Probationary licences |
|---|---|
| Independent schools | 47 |
| Private providers | 11 |
| Universities and other higher education institutions | 4 |
| Publicly funded colleges | 1 |
It is where most new sponsors start. Of the 88 institutions newly listed since 30 November 2024, 49 came on as probationary.
Movement runs in both directions
Over the same period we recorded 46 moves from Probationary Sponsor up to Student Sponsor, and 38 moves the other way, from a full status back down to probationary. The second number is the one that surprises people. Probation is not only a starting point that sponsors pass through once; established sponsors are returned to it.
The register does not give reasons, and we do not guess at them for any individual sponsor.
What it means if you are choosing one
- It can sponsor you, but for a narrower range of courses. If you are 18 or over, a probationary sponsor’s CAS must be for a course at RQF level 4 or above (SCQF level 7 in Scotland), where other sponsors can go a level lower; under 18, level 3 or above (Appendix Student, ST 10.1). It cannot sponsor a below-degree course that includes a work placement (ST 17.1), and its students may re-sit an exam or repeat a module only once (ST 14.5).
- You will not have the benefits tied to track record status. On the Student route, work during term time is permitted only for students of a higher education provider with a track record of compliance (Appendix Student, ST 26.1). That excludes probationary sponsors, and also sponsors with plain Student Sponsor status.
- The licence is the one most likely to change during your course. That is what the figures above show. It does not mean a given school or college is at risk, but it is a reason to ask how long it has been licensed, and to get its refund terms in writing.
- Check again before each payment. The change log shows every status change we have recorded, with dates.
If the worst does happen, the guidance on what follows for students is summarised in our article on sponsors that lose their licence.
About these numbers
The figures count licences, not institutions: a school licensed for both the Student and Child Student routes is counted once for each. “No longer listed” includes sponsors that changed their legal name, so the true number that left the system is somewhat lower. The method, and the gaps in our archive, are described on the register changes page.
Sources
- UK Student Sponsors register archive and change log
- Home Office, Student sponsor guidance: Student sponsor compliance
- Immigration Rules, Appendix Student
- Immigration Rules, Introduction (definitions)
This article explains published rules and data. It is not immigration advice, and it cannot tell you how an individual application will be decided. Found an error? Tell us; corrections are recorded in the corrections log.
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