Buckinghamshire New University Licence Suspended by Home Office

The Buckinghamshire New University licence suspended notice was published by the Home Office and UK Visas and Immigration on 30 September 2026. The university’s Student sponsor licence was suspended with immediate effect, and it now has 20 working days to show why the licence should be reinstated or it will be revoked.

Key facts

• The Home Office suspended Buckinghamshire New University’s Student sponsor licence on 30 September 2026, effective immediately.
• The university has been removed from the register of licensed Student sponsors while the suspension lasts.
• It has 20 working days to respond. If it cannot show the licence should be reinstated, the licence will be revoked.
• Students already sponsored by the university can continue studying while their immigration permission stays valid.
• The university’s Worker and Temporary Worker licences are not affected.
• The university had 1,530 international students in 2024/25, according to HESA data reported by The PIE News.

What changed: Buckinghamshire New University licence suspended

On 30 September 2026 the Home Office published a notice saying it had suspended Buckinghamshire New University’s Student sponsor licence. The government page gives the reason as “concerns about the university’s compliance with its sponsor duties”. It does not list the specific concerns.

A suspension is not a revocation. The notice says the university has 20 working days to respond. If the university does not show that its licence should be reinstated, the licence will be revoked.

During the suspension the university is taken off the official register of licensed Student sponsors. Its separate licences to sponsor workers (Worker and Temporary Worker routes) remain in place, and it stays on the workers’ register.

In a statement reported by the Bucks Herald on 2 October 2026, the university said many of the Home Office’s concerns relate to historic international student recruitment. It said leadership appointed in 2025 had already strengthened governance and compliance. The same report notes that the university’s old Tier 4 licence was also suspended in 2015.

Who is affected

The Home Office notice separates students into groups:

• Current international students sponsored by the university may continue their studies while the suspension is in effect, as long as their permission to stay is still valid.
• Home (domestic) students are not affected.
• Students in the UK on other immigration permission that does not depend on the university’s sponsorship are not affected.

People who were planning to apply to the university, or who were waiting for documents from it, are the group with the most uncertainty. The notice does not set out what happens to applications that are in progress.

What it means for Nepali and Indian students

The Buckinghamshire New University licence suspended decision matters to Nepali and Indian families who have chosen, or are considering, this university. If you are already studying there on a Student visa, the official position is that you can carry on for now.

This case also shows how the Home Office is policing universities more closely. On 4 June 2026 the government announced tougher sponsor thresholds: a visa refusal rate below 5% (down from 10%), an enrolment rate of at least 95% and a completion rate of at least 90%. It said these thresholds take effect in summer 2027, with a red, amber and green rating for each university. Some universities may become more cautious about which applicants they accept.

Before paying a deposit to any UK university, check that it appears on the current register of licensed Student sponsors. Our guide to studying in the UK from Nepal explains the basic steps.

What to do now

1. If you are a current student, keep studying, attend classes and keep your contact details up to date with the university.
2. Check the expiry date on your eVisa. The protection in the notice applies while your permission remains valid.
3. If you were waiting for a CAS or an offer, contact the university’s international office in writing and ask what will happen to your application.
4. Do not pay new fees or deposits until you have a clear written answer.
5. If a visa application is refused because of the suspension, read our page on what to do after a student visa refusal and get advice from a regulated adviser.

What we don’t know yet

• The specific compliance concerns. The Home Office has not published them.
• Whether the licence will be reinstated, reinstated with conditions, or revoked. By our count, 20 working days from 30 September 2026 runs to around 28 October 2026, but the Home Office has not published a decision date.
• What happens to applicants for later intakes, such as January 2027. Some agency websites say that intake is affected, but we could not confirm this on any official page.
• What happens to current students if the licence is later revoked. The notice covers only the suspension period.

Frequently asked questions

Can I continue my course at Buckinghamshire New University?

Yes, for now. The Home Office says currently sponsored students may continue studying while the suspension is in effect, provided their immigration permission remains valid.

Is the licence cancelled?

No. The Buckinghamshire New University licence is suspended, not revoked. The university has 20 working days to respond before the Home Office decides.

Does this affect staff on work visas at the university?

The notice says the university’s Worker and Temporary Worker licences are not affected.

Sources

• Buckinghamshire New University: Student sponsor licence suspension – GOV.UK
• Buckinghamshire New University: Student sponsor licence suspension (notice text) – GOV.UK
• Universities face ban on international students over visa abuse – GOV.UK
• Breaking: UK Home Office suspends Buckinghamshire New University’s student sponsor licence – The PIE News
• Government suspends Buckinghamshire New University’s student sponsor licence – Bucks Herald

Last checked: 2 October 2026. This is general information, not immigration advice.