2025 Spring Rules: Child Student Policy Changes - Safeguarding
- helen7252
- May 12
- 2 min read
Child Student route
As outlined in the recent Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules, from 29 May, changes will come into effect for Appendix Child Student of the Immigration Rules.
A number of changes are being made to the Child Student immigration route to improve safeguarding on this route, including:
Carers of international students for periods lasting less than 28 days (nominated guardians) will have to meet the same requirements as those for close relatives and private foster carers, including a requirement to provide a letter of undertaking.
A new list of permitted living arrangement categories has been created. Applicants must specify which arrangement they will be entering into. The financial requirements section has also been updated to align with this new list.
Caseworkers will also be given broader powers to refuse Child Student applications where the Child Student’s carer in the UK has committed a relevant criminal offence, or they pose a safeguarding risk to the applicant once they are in the UK. This includes adults living with a nominated guardian.
In the Student sponsor guidance, the Home Office (UKVI) will also be introducing an additional duty on Child Student sponsors, requiring them to make reasonable endeavours to collect information on travel arrangements for students with a nominated guardian. Sponsors will need to:
keep records of when the child is arriving,
record details of the person collecting the child,
record where the child will be staying if they are not proceeding directly to school, and
report to the relevant authority if the child does not enrol at school.
The Home Office (UKVI) recognise it won't always be possible to collect this information due to circumstances outside of the sponsors's control but sponsors should keep a record of their reasonable attempts to do so.
The Student Sponsor Duties (Document 2) guidance will be updated with further information on 29 May.
Further information and a useful Q&A can be viewed here.
