03 April 2020 - Offer making FAQs, visa extensions, REF2021 on hold
Office for Students FAQS on offer-making
The Office for Students has published additional detail on offer-making, following last week’s statement that all unconditional offers should be paused. The two-week moratorium applies in the following cases:
- Any activity to adjust existing offers, including to make them unconditional
- Offer-making for mature and other applicants who are not reliant on A-levels, BTECs and similar qualifications, or who already have confirmed results from A-levels, BTECs and similar qualifications in previous years
- Offer-making for UK, EU and international applicants
- Where providers were intending to make unconditional offers to applicants before changes to A-levels for this year were announced.
The moratorium was announced by Universities Minister Michelle Donelan on Monday 23 March and will last for two weeks.
New Home Office guidance: visas extended to 31 May 2020
The Home Office has published advice for people with visas which expire between 24 January 2020 and 31 May 2020 and stresses that no visa holder will be penalised for circumstances outside of their control. Visas will be extended until 31 May 2020 for those who cannot leave the country due to the coronavirus. There are also new measures in place to allow people to apply for long-term visas from the UK until 31 May 2020. (See also the factsheets linked in the Sector updates section below).
The advice also covers those applying for UK visas from elsewhere. Most visa application centres are closed or offering a limited service.
REF 2021 on hold
REF has been put on hold until further notice to allow institutions to prioritise research in clinical and health-related fields.
