Written question asked by Lord Laird (Ulster Unionist Party), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Henley (Conservative) on Wednesday, 16 November 2011.

Visas

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many private sector providers are highly trusted sponsors (HTS) for general purposes, how many have A and B rating, how many confirmations of acceptance for studies for non-European Union nationals non-HTS providers are permitted to assign from 21 April 2011-25 April 2012 in total; and what that figure is expected to be for the following year.

Answer: There are three separate levels of sponsor status; highly trusted (HTS), A rated or B rated. As at 9 November 2011, there are 990 private sector providers with HTS; 494 are A rated and 88 are B rated. A rated and B rated sponsors have assigned 33,676 confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) from their active allocation. We do not make forecasts on the numbers of CASs that private sector non-HTS providers will assign in future years. The figures provided are based on local management information. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols and should be treated as provisional.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 13221; 732 c169-70WA
Session: 2010-12
Related items: Visas
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Written questions
House of Lords
Subjects: Private education Overseas students Visas Sponsorship
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk