Visa & Immigration Conference
🏷️ From £250
🎧 Admissions, marketing, senior leaders, boarding staff, bursars
📍 Dulwich College, Dulwich Common, London, SE21 7LD, UK
Part of CPDSAVE: 4 tickets for the price of 3 across 1-day conferences
Course Outline:
For schools sponsoring international students, keeping pace with shifting immigration laws and meeting complex sponsor licence obligations can be challenging. The BSA and BAISIS visa and immigration conference is designed to provide education professionals with the most up-to-date guidance on visas and immigration directly from sector experts, as well as an update on trends in international student recruitment.
This event will cover critical developments affecting the education sector, including recent changes to the Student and Child Student visa routes, best practices for managing a Student Sponsor Licence, and essential insights into Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) procedures. Attendees will also gain practical guidance on what to expect from UKVI (Home Office) inspections and how to effectively report and monitor on activities.
Throughout the day, delegates will benefit from expert-led sessions offering a comprehensive, sector-specific overview. A key feature of the conference will be interactive Q&A opportunities with our expert panels, including Home Office representatives – delegates are encouraged to come prepared with their questions.
Learning outcomes:
- Enhanced understanding of the visa process for sponsor licence-holding schools
- Greater clarity on the CAS application and allocation procedures
- Broader knowledge of visa and immigration timelines, processes, and support services.
This event will be held jointly with:
Programme:
09:30 – 10:00 Registration and refreshments
10:00 – 10:45 Sector updates
This session offers an overview of the latest developments in the boarding sector, highlighting trends, challenges, and opportunities that shape the current landscape.
- Speaker: Kate Hollyer, Partner and Director, BSA Group Legal Services Ltd
10:45 – 11:30 Trafficking and modern-day slavery
This session raises awareness of trafficking and modern-day slavery, examining the risks within the education sector and exploring measures to safeguard pupils and staff.
- Speaker: Louise Daynes, Border Force Higher Officer and Lead Trainer, National Safeguarding and Modern Slavery Team, Border Force
11:30 – 12:15 Working with agents
This session discusses effective ways to collaborate with educational agents, sharing best practices to build trust, manage expectations, and support successful outcomes.
12:15 – 13:15 Networking Lunch
13:15 – 14:15 Home Office update
This session delivers an official update from the Home Office, focusing on policies, compliance issues, and their implications for boarding schools.
14:15 – 14:45 Refreshments and networking
14:45 – 15:30 BCA metrics update and Q&A
This session presents the latest BCA metrics, offering data-driven insights into sector performance and giving delegates the chance to ask questions and engage with the findings.
Speakers:
- Kate Hollyer, Partner and Director, BSA Group Legal Services Ltd
- Penny Evans, Consultant, immigration expert, Penningtons Manches Cooper
15:30 – 16:30 Practical applications for implementing immigration policy in boarding & Q&A (including educational oversight)
This session explores the practicalities of applying immigration policy in a boarding school context, addressing compliance, educational oversight, and real-world challenges, followed by a Q&A.
Speakers:
- Kate Hollyer, Partner and Director, BSA Group Legal Services Ltd
- Penny Evans, Consultant, immigration expert, Penningtons Manches Cooper
16:30 Conference close
Speakers:
Kate Hollyer, Partner and Director, BSA Group Legal Services Ltd
Kate Hollyer is Executive Director (Legal) of BSA Group and Director of BSA Legal Services Ltd. A qualified solicitor with over 14 years’ experience in UK immigration law, she advises and supports members on a full range of immigration matters. Before joining BSA in 2022, Kate was Partner and Head of Department at a leading UK law firm, where she built extensive expertise in complex immigration cases. Since 2014, Kate has lived in boarding houses alongside her Housemaster husband, giving her a unique, first-hand perspective on the challenges and opportunities of boarding life.
Penny Evans, Consultant, immigration expert, Penningtons Manches Cooper
Penny leads the firm’s immigration audit, training, and compliance practice. She has worked in UK immigration since 2003 and was previously a registered migration agent in Australia. Penny specialises in strengthening client processes to minimise compliance risks, offering practical solutions to complex challenges. She is highly experienced in supporting corporate and education clients and is valued for her approachable style. Her expertise includes leading audits for universities and businesses, and delivering training on illegal working prevention, Skilled Worker, and student sponsorship. A frequent speaker, she also advises internal audit committees on immigration law and institutional risk management.
Louise Daynes, Border Force Higher Officer and Lead Trainer, National Safeguarding and Modern Slavery Team, Border Force
With over 20 years’ experience as a Safeguarding Higher Officer at Gatwick Airport, Louise has extensive frontline expertise in handling safeguarding cases involving both adults and children at immigration control. They have played key roles in major safeguarding operations in the UK and France, including Operation Limelight, Karetu, and Aident. Now part of the National Safeguarding and Modern Slavery Team, Louise is the training lead, delivering safeguarding programmes to Border Force colleagues of all grades nationwide. They also provide training to key stakeholders across the UK and Europe, sharing specialist knowledge on safeguarding and modern slavery issues.
