1. A register of attendance is taken during every class.  

2. Unauthorised and unexplained absence for a maximum of two (2) consecutive days will be brought to the attention of the IEC Administrative Manager by the programme leader and arrangements will be made to contact the student.      

3. If the student does not respond and subsequently is absent for a further three (3) consecutive days, the absence will be reported to the UKVI Compliance Office.  

4. The UKVI Compliance Office will contact the student at 5 missed contact points and issue a formal warning that failure to re-engage may result in the withdrawal of their visa. 

5. If the student does not re-engage and misses a further 5 missed contacts (a total of 10 consecutive contact points), their case will be escalated to the University’s Executive Lead for UKVI Compliance (UKVI Sponsor Authorising Officer) with a case for withdrawal of Student Visa sponsorship. The case will outline how the student has breached the University’s Student Visa Engagement and Attendance Monitoring Policy and has failed to adhere to their Student Visa responsibilities as outlined in the University’s Student Visa Responsibilities Handbook. These policies are underpinned by UKVI stipulations.  

6. The Executive Lead for Compliance will review the case in consultation with the UKVI Compliance Office. Where there is no evidence that the student has engaged with their studies for 60 days, and they have failed to provide a satisfactory reason for the absence, the Executive Lead for Compliance will formally approve the withdrawal of Student Visa sponsorship 

7. This action will result in the student being permanently excluded from their course. The exclusion will be confirmed by the University’s Academic Registrar. 

A formal exclusion letter will be issued to the student. Sponsorship of their Student Visa will be withdrawn, and they will be required to leave the UK. 

The university is not required to monitor your attendance during recognised vacation periods, Christmas Vacation, Easter Vacation and Summer Vacation. It is your responsibility to be aware of the dates of term.

The University will monitor each student's engagement with compulsory teaching activities. For example, but not limited to, lectures, seminars and practicals.

Trigger point	Action to be taken by UKVI Compliance Office	Action required by the student
Week 1    A minimum of 2 contact points were not recorded last week	The UKVI Compliance Office will be closely monitoring the student’s attendance and will check whether they re-engage during the next week of teaching.	Attend a minimum of 2 contact points during the next week of teaching.
Week 2    A minimum of 2 contact points were not recorded for the second consecutive week	The UKVI Compliance Office will continue to closely monitor the student’s attendance and will check whether they re-engage during the next week of teaching.	Attend a minimum of 2 contact points during the next week of teaching.
Week 3    A minimum of 2 contact points were not recorded for the third consecutive week	At this stage the student’s engagement with their course reaches a point of escalation and concern and places their Student Visa at risk.  The UKVI Compliance Office will email the student, as follows:  To formally warn them that continued under engagement with their course will result in further escalation under this policy.   To ask them to account for their absence during the last three weeks.  To highlight support available to them (e.g. academic support, Student Services, external support etc.)  To formally warn them that continued under engagement with their course will result in withdrawal of sponsorship of their student visa and exclusion from their course.	Attend a minimum of 2 contact points during the next week of teaching.  Respond to the email from the UKVI Compliance Office to account for their absence. The student may be asked to provide evidence to support their explanation for the absence.  Access additional support where required to enable them to fully re-engage with their course.
Week 4    A minimum of 2 contact points were not recorded for the fourth consecutive week	At this stage the student’s engagement with their course reaches a serious point of escalation and concern and places their Student Visa at risk. Failure to re-engage this week will result in withdrawal of sponsorship and exclusion from their course.  The UKVI Compliance Office will issue the student with a final warning letter.   The final warning letter will outline the following:  The student’s engagement and attendance to date.  A warning that if the student does not engage with their course by the end of the week (by registering two contact points) the UKVI Compliance Office will escalate the student’s under-engagement with their course and non-compliance with this policy to the Executive Lead for UKVI Compliance as outlined below (Week 5). This is the student’s final opportunity to re-engage with their studies or to provide any additional evidence to account for their under-engagement.   A formal warning that continued under engagement with their course will result in withdrawal of sponsorship of their student visa and exclusion from their course.	Attend a minimum of 2 contact points during the next week of teaching. The final warning letter will confirm the deadline by which the student must re-engage.      Respond to the final warning letter from the UKVI Compliance Office.
Week 5    A minimum of 2 contact points were not recorded for the fifth consecutive week	The student’s under-engagement with their course and non-compliance with this policy will be escalated to the University’s Executive Lead for UKVI Compliance (UKVI Sponsor Authorising Officer) with a case for withdrawal of of sponsorship of the student’s Student Visa.   The case will outline how the student has breached the University’s Student Visa Holders Engagement and Attendance Monitoring Policy and has failed to adhere to their Student Visa responsibilities as outlined in the University’s Student Visa Responsibilities Handbook. These policies are underpinned by UKVI stipulations.   The Executive Lead for UKVI Compliance will review the case in consultation with the UKVI Compliance Office. Where it is found that the student has not met the minimum engagement requirement set out within this policy, and the student has failed to provide a satisfactory reason for the under-engagement, the Executive Lead for UKVI Compliance will formally approve the withdrawal of Student Visa sponsorship.  This action will result in the student being permanently excluded from their course. The exclusion will be confirmed by the University’s Academic Registrar.  A formal exclusion letter will be issued to the student.  Sponsorship of the student’s Student Visa will be withdrawn, and the student will be required to leave the UK.	On receipt of a formal exclusion letter, the student must make arrangements to leave the UK. The student may wish to access support from the International Student Adviser and other support services.

At all stages students must respond to any email that is sent to them from the UKVI Compliance Office. Failure to respond to emails about their engagement and attendance with their course will be viewed as further evidence of non-engagement with the policy.   

UNDERGRADUATE (UG) STUDENTS DURING THE ASSESSMENT AND EXAMINATION PERIOD

Exam attendance may be considered as a contact point within this policy. 

At the conclusion of the teaching period, if a student has not met the minimum threshold of two contact points for three consecutive weeks the UKVI Compliance Office will continue to monitor their engagement into the examination and assessment period to ensure that the student does not reach 10 missed contact points. 

The UKVI Compliance Office will liaise with Academic Departments to monitor the student’s engagement with the following: 

• Submission of assessments 

• Attendance at timetabled examinations. 

In these circumstances, each assessment and examination will count as a contact point.  

Non-engagement during this period may result in your case being escalated to the Executive Lead for UKVI Compliance with a recommendation for withdrawal of Student Visa sponsorship as outlined in ‘Week 5’ in the escalation table above.

During teaching periods Nursing students will be monitored in the same way as UG students.  (See section above)

Whilst students are on placements, the UKVI Compliance Office will request monthly assurance reports from the student’s department confirming that they have been engaging with / attending the placement. 

Where it is evidenced that a nursing student has not engaged with their studies during class based teaching for 5 weeks the policy above for UG students will apply. If a student has reached 60 days non engagement (class based learning and absence from placement) the case will be escalated as per week 5 of the UG escalation table above'.

The university is not required to monitor your attendance during recognised vacation periods, Christmas Vacation, Easter Vacation and Summer Vacation. It is your responsibility to be aware of the dates of term.

The University will monitor each student's engagement with compulsory teaching activities. For example, but not limited to, lectures, seminars and practicals.

Trigger point	Action to be taken by UKVI Compliance Office	Action required by the student
Week 1    A minimum of 2 contact points were not recorded last week	The UKVI Compliance Office will be closely monitoring the student’s attendance and will check whether they re-engage during the next week of teaching.	Attend a minimum of 2 contact points during the next week of teaching.
Week 2    A minimum of 2 contact points were not recorded for the second consecutive week	The UKVI Compliance Office will continue to closely monitor the student’s attendance and will check whether they re-engage during the next week of teaching.	Attend a minimum of 2 contact points during the next week of teaching.
Week 3    A minimum of 2 contact points were not recorded for the third consecutive week	At this stage the student’s engagement with their course reaches a point of escalation and concern and places their Student Visa at risk.  The UKVI Compliance Office will email the student, as follows:  To formally warn them that continued under engagement with their course will result in further escalation under this policy.   To ask them to account for their absence during the last three weeks.  To highlight support available to them (e.g. academic support, Student Services, external support etc.)  To formally warn them that continued under engagement with their course will result in withdrawal of sponsorship of their student visa and exclusion from their course.	Attend a minimum of 2 contact points during the next week of teaching.  Respond to the email from the UKVI Compliance Office to account for their absence. The student may be asked to provide evidence to support their explanation for the absence.  Access additional support where required to enable them to fully re-engage with their course.
Week 4    A minimum of 2 contact points were not recorded for the fourth consecutive week	At this stage the student’s engagement with their course reaches a serious point of escalation and concern and places their Student Visa at risk. Failure to re-engage this week will result in withdrawal of sponsorship and exclusion from their course.  The UKVI Compliance Office will issue the student with a final warning letter.   The final warning letter will outline the following:  The student’s engagement and attendance to date.  A warning that if the student does not engage with their course by the end of the week (by registering two contact points) the UKVI Compliance Office will escalate the student’s under-engagement with their course and non-compliance with this policy to the Executive Lead for UKVI Compliance as outlined below (Week 5). This is the student’s final opportunity to re-engage with their studies or to provide any additional evidence to account for their under-engagement.   A formal warning that continued under engagement with their course will result in withdrawal of sponsorship of their student visa and exclusion from their course.	Attend a minimum of 2 contact points during the next week of teaching. The final warning letter will confirm the deadline by which the student must re-engage.      Respond to the final warning letter from the UKVI Compliance Office.
Week 5    A minimum of 2 contact points were not recorded for the fifth consecutive week	The student’s under-engagement with their course and non-compliance with this policy will be escalated to the University’s Executive Lead for UKVI Compliance (UKVI Sponsor Authorising Officer) with a case for withdrawal of of sponsorship of the student’s Student Visa.   The case will outline how the student has breached the University’s Student Visa Holders Engagement and Attendance Monitoring Policy and has failed to adhere to their Student Visa responsibilities as outlined in the University’s Student Visa Responsibilities Handbook. These policies are underpinned by UKVI stipulations.   The Executive Lead for UKVI Compliance will review the case in consultation with the UKVI Compliance Office. Where it is found that the student has not met the minimum engagement requirement set out within this policy, and the student has failed to provide a satisfactory reason for the under-engagement, the Executive Lead for UKVI Compliance will formally approve the withdrawal of Student Visa sponsorship.  This action will result in the student being permanently excluded from their course. The exclusion will be confirmed by the University’s Academic Registrar.  A formal exclusion letter will be issued to the student.  Sponsorship of the student’s Student Visa will be withdrawn, and the student will be required to leave the UK.	On receipt of a formal exclusion letter, the student must make arrangements to leave the UK. The student may wish to access support from the International Student Adviser and other support services.

At all stages students must respond to any email that is sent to them from the UKVI Compliance Office. Failure to respond to emails about their engagement and attendance with their course will be viewed as further evidence of non-engagement with the policy.   

POSTGRADUATE TAUGHT (PGT)  STUDENTS DURING THE ASSESSMENT AND EXAMINATION PERIOD

Exam attendance may be considered as a contact point within this policy. 

At the conclusion of the teaching period, if a student has not met the minimum threshold of two contact points for three consecutive weeks the UKVI Compliance Office will continue to monitor their engagement into the examination and assessment period to ensure that the student does not reach 10 missed contact points. 

The UKVI Compliance Office will liaise with Academic Departments to monitor the student’s engagement with the following: 

• Submission of assessments 

• Attendance at timetabled examinations. 

In these circumstances, each assessment and examination will count as a contact point.  

Non-engagement during this period may result in your case being escalated to the Executive Lead for UKVI Compliance with a recommendation for withdrawal of Student Visa sponsorship as outlined in ‘Week 5’ in the escalation table above.

Note: During the non-teaching period, (Dissertation write-up period), you are required to meet with your supervisor / tutor in person at least once a month to discuss your progress.

If you wish to complete your dissertation in your home country, you must request this formally from your department who will need to approve this.

Your visa will be curtailed but you will remain an Aberystwyth University student until the end of your registration. In surrendering your visa you will not be eligible for the Graduate Visa.

What to do if you are unwell:

If you are unwell and this means that you are not able to meet the minimum requirement of 2 contact points in a week, please notify your Department and also the Compliance Office so that this can be taken into consideration.

If you are a PGR student, you may rearrange your monthly contact meeting with your supervisor's agreement, so long as you meet with your supervisor within the given month.

If you expect your absence will be prolonged, you may wish to consider a Temporary Withdrawal. This would mean the Home Office would be informed, you must return to your home country, your visa will be curtailed, and you may reapply when you are well. If you wish to discuss this option, please do not hesitate to contact your International Student Advisor (immigrationadvice@aber.ac.uk).

POSTGRADUATE TAUGHT (PGT) STUDENTS DURING THE DISSERTATION PERIOD 

During the dissertation period PGT students must meet with their supervisors in person at least once a month to discuss their progress. This meeting should take place within the first 3 weeks of the month. 

Submission of the final dissertation also constitutes a contact point for the purposes of this policy.  

Where a student’s supervisor is unable to meet with the student in person for any reason, such as annual leave, the student must meet with an alternative member of academic staff in person to discuss their dissertation. 

Where a student does not record a meeting in the current month the student must log a meeting the following month to protect their Student Visa. 

Where a student has not recorded a meeting for 2 consecutive months they will be subject to the following escalation process: 

Trigger point	Action to be taken by UKVI Compliance Office	Action required by the student
If no meeting has been logged by the 23rd of the second consecutive month (i.e. approaching 60 days of non-engagement)	At this stage the student’s engagement with their course has reached a serious point of escalation and concern and places their Student Visa at risk. Failure to re-engage by the end of the month will result in withdrawal of sponsorship of the student’s Student Visa and exclusion from their course.  The UKVI Compliance Office will issue the student with a formal warning letter.   The formal warning letter will explain that if the student does not record a meeting by the end of the month, they will have reached 60 days of non-engagement with their course. As such, their case will be escalated (as outlined below) with a recommendation that sponsorship of their Student Visa is withdrawn, and they are excluded from their course.  This is the student’s final opportunity to re-engage with their course or to provide any additional evidence to account for their non-engagement.	Meet with their supervisor and log a meeting via the task on their Student Record before the end of the month.  Respond to the formal warning letter from the UKVI Compliance Office.

PGR students must meet with their supervisors at least once a month to discuss their progress. This meeting should take place in person within the first 3 weeks of the month.

Please note that UKVI rules mean that only evidence of a face-to-face meeting is acceptable. 

The student must record a meeting report via the task in ‘My Tasks’ on their student record by the 23rd of each month. (Email links to complete the task will be sent at the start of the month and reminders will be sent until the task is complete). Where a supervisor is on leave or not available to conduct a meeting in person, students should meet with their second supervisor or other nominated academic member of staff.

Once a meeting has been recorded on the system, the supervisor will automatically be contacted to review and confirm that the details of the report are an accurate and true record of the meeting. If no meeting is recorded on the system by the end of the current month, a written warning will be issued to the student. If no record is received for 2 consecutive months, the student case will be referred to the UKVI Compliance Manager for UKVI who will review engagement and may recommended that student visa sponsorship is withdrawn.

If a student or supervisor does not provide proof of engagement by the end of the month the escalation policy as laid out in the Student Engagement and Attendance Monitoring Policy will be followed and the students visa may become at risk.

Postgraduate Research students must be in Aberystwyth for 44 weeks per academic year. Your vacation must be taken when appropriate in line with your research and any teaching events. This must be recorded as an authorised absence.

Timeline	Reminders sent/received	Action for the student
1st of the month	Email sent to student to notify them that a new task has appeared on their student record and that this must be completed by the 23rd of the month	Task appears on ‘My Tasks’ on student record.
If no meeting is logged by the 16th of the month	Email sent to student reminding them that a meeting should be logged by the 23rd of the month	Complete task by the 23rd of the month.
If no meeting is logged by end of the month (i.e. 30 days non-engagement)	Email warning sent to student informing them that non-compliance with the requirement to record a meeting has been noted.    The warning email will notify the student that they must log a meeting the following month.	Student MUST log a meeting the following month to protect their Student Visa.

Where a student does not record a meeting as outlined in the table above, the student must log a meeting the following month to protect their Student Visa. 

Where a student has not recorded a meeting for 2 consecutive months as outlined in the table above, they will receive the same automated reminder emails the following month and, in addition, will be subject to the following escalation process: 

Trigger point	Action to be taken by UKVI Compliance Office	Action required by the student
If no meeting has been logged by the 23rd of the second consecutive month (i.e. approaching 60 days of non-engagement)	At this stage the student’s engagement with their course has reached a serious point of escalation and concern and places their Student Visa at risk. Failure to re-engage by the end of the month will result in withdrawal of sponsorship of the student’s Student Visa and exclusion from their course.  The UKVI Compliance Office will issue the student with a formal warning letter.   The formal warning letter will explain that if the student does not record a meeting by the end of the month, they will have reached 60 days of non-engagement with their course. As such, their case will be escalated (as outlined below) with a recommendation that sponsorship of their Student Visa is withdrawn, and they are excluded from their course.  This is the student’s final opportunity to re-engage with their course or to provide any additional evidence to account for their non-engagement.	Meet with their supervisor and log a meeting via the task on their Student Record before the end of the month.  Respond to the formal warning letter from the UKVI Compliance Office.
1st of the month (third consecutive month)	Where a student has not logged a meeting for two months, their case will be escalated to the University’s Executive Lead for UKVI Compliance (UKVI Sponsor Authorising Officer) with a case for withdrawal of Student Visa sponsorship.   The case will outline how the student has breached the University’s Student Visa Engagement and Attendance Monitoring Policy and has failed to adhere to their Student Visa responsibilities as outlined in the University’s Student Visa Responsibilities Handbook. These policies are underpinned by UKVI stipulations.   The Executive Lead for UKVI Compliance will review the case in consultation with the UKVI Compliance Office. Where there is no evidence that the student has engaged with their studies for 60 days, and they have failed to provide a satisfactory reason for the absence, the Executive Lead for Compliance will formally approve the withdrawal of Student Visa sponsorship.  This action will result in the student being permanently excluded from their course. The exclusion will be confirmed by the University’s Academic Registrar.  A formal exclusion letter will be issued to the student. Sponsorship of their Student Visa will be withdrawn, and they will be required to leave the UK.	On receipt of a formal exclusion letter, the student must make arrangements to leave the UK.   The student may wish to access support from the International Student Adviser and other support services.

Prior to withdrawal of sponsorship, the University may use discretion to consider whether any other evidence of engagement with studies can be considered as a contact point, for example, evidence of in-person attendance on campus to conduct laboratory work or Graduate School training events. 

You need to email the Compliance Office before your placement begins with the following details:

• Name of the organisation/work placement
• Name and email address of your line manager at placement
• Address of the organisation
• Start and end dates of your placement

You need to obtain the signature of your employer every month and record it on the Work Placement Attendance Monitoring Form provided by the Compliance Office.

You need to email a copy of your attendance form to the Compliance Office before the end of the month, every month that you are away.

If the student fails to provide a signed Attendance Monitoring Form for one month, this will be noted on their Student Record. If the student fails to provide a signed Attendance Monitoring Form for a second consecutive month, sponsorship of their Student Visa will be withdrawn. Failure to submit signed attendance forms will place the student’s visa at risk as the University is required to hold evidence that students are engaging with their course. The university cannot continue to sponsor a student if they have not engaged with their course for 60 days. 

 

You will need to obtain a signature every month from your contact at the partner institution on the Exchange/Study Abroad Attendance Monitoring Form. This can be obtained from the Compliance Office.

You will be responsible for forwarding this form to your home department and the Compliance Office at Aberystwyth University every month.

You must send the form before the end of each month.

Failure to do so will result in an unauthorised absence and may put your Student Visa at risk.

Note: You must speak to the Compliance Office (compliance@aber.ac.uk) before you begin your programme.

The University has chosen to maintain its sponsorship of students who are absent from the University on the Study Abroad/Exchange programme. The University must therefore monitor the student’s engagement whilst on the programme.  

Whilst on a Study Abroad programme, the student’s engagement will be monitored via monthly submission of an Attendance Monitoring Form. The student is responsible for obtaining signatures from a relevant contact at the host organisation as proof of attendance. The form must be emailed to the UKVI Compliance Office by the end of each month.

The form should be signed in-person and a physical signature obtained. If this is not possible and an electronic signature is provided, the email returning the form to the UKVI Compliance Office should be copied to the signatory.

If the student fails to provide a signed Attendance Monitoring Form for one month, this will be noted on their Student Record and the UKVI Compliance Office will monitor your engagement closely. If the student fails to provide a signed Attendance Monitoring Form for a second consecutive month, sponsorship of their Student Visa will be withdrawn. Failure to submit signed attendance forms will place the student’s visa at risk as the University is required to hold evidence that students are engaging with their course. The university cannot continue to sponsor a student if they have not engaged with their course for 60 days. 

You need to email the Compliance Office before your placement begins with the following details:

• Name of the organisation / work placement
•        Name and email address of your line manager at placement
• Address of the organisation
• Start and end dates of your placement

You need to obtain the signature of your employer every month and record it on the Work Placement Attendance Monitoring Form provided by the Compliance Office.

You need to email a copy of your attendance form to the Compliance Office before the end of the month, every month that you are away.

If the student fails to provide a signed Attendance Monitoring Form for one month, this will be noted on their Student Record. If the student fails to provide a signed Attendance Monitoring Form for a second consecutive month, sponsorship of their Student Visa will be withdrawn. Failure to submit signed attendance forms will place the student’s visa at risk as the University is required to hold evidence that students are engaging with their course. The university cannot continue to sponsor a student if they have not engaged with their course for 60 days. 

If you are unwell and this means that you are not able to meet the minimum requirement of 2 contact points in a week, please notify your Department so that they can be made aware and can advise on any academic impact to your absence.

The Compliance team understand that from time to time students may be unwell and unable to attend classes, however where an absence of 3 weeks is noted you will be contacted and asked to account for your absence. You may be asked to provide medical evidence.

If you expect your absence will be prolonged (above 60 days), you may wish to consider taking a Temporary Withdrawal from your studies. This would mean the Home Office would be informed, your visa would be cancelled and you would need to return to your home country. If you wish to discuss this option, please contact your International Student Advisor (immigrationadvice@aber.ac.uk).