BSA virtual one-day conference – Visa and immigration summer term update

• Date: June 22, 2022
• Time: 09:30 – 16:00
• Cost: Full Member – £185 / Additional Full Member – £95 / Affiliate Member – £280 / Additional Affiliate Member – £120 / Non-member – £370 / Full Member Whole School Rate – £400
• Audience: Admissions, Marketing, Deputy Head, Head of Boarding, Head, Bursar, Education Guardians, Agents.
• Platform: Zoom (online)

This conference will enable delegates to hear directly from the experts on the latest in visas and immigration relevant to the education sector. Addressing key issues from our members, sessions will consider CAS allocations and the application process, updates to the new Student and Child routes and recommendations to ensure compliance against sponsor license responsibilities.

BSA will facilitate questions directly from members to our experts throughout the day and encourage delegates to come prepared with questions for our panels.

Training topics will include:

• Key sector issues relating to visas and immigration
• CAS
• Compliance and sponsor responsibilities
• Updates to the student and child routes.

Learning outcomes:

• Increased awareness of the visa process for schools as sponsor license holders
• Increased understanding of the CAS application process
• Increased understanding of the wider visa and immigration process, timelines and services.

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Event Schedule

09:30 – 09:40 Welcome and sector “in tray”
Most common issues in your inbox
Sabrina Kadi, In-House Legal Counsel, BSA Group

09:40 – 10:15 International market update – an analysis of the 2022 ISC Census
Chair: Caroline Nixon, International and Membership Director, BSA Group and Director, BAISIS
Simon Nathan, Head of Policy, Independent Schools Council

10:15 – 10:30 Break

10:30 – 11:30 Home Office update
Chair: Sabrina Kadi, In-House Legal Counsel, BSA Group
Owen Metcalfe, Student Migration Policy Team, Migration & Citizenship Directorate, Migration and Borders Group, Home Office
Thomas Hickman, Home Office
Phillip Wall, Home Office
Victor Okafor, Home Office

11:30 – 12:15 Education oversight and UKVI compliance
Chair: Caroline Nixon, International and Membership Director, BSA Group and Director, BAISIS
Dale Wilkins, Senior Director, BSA and BSA Group
Sabrina Kadi, In-House Legal Counsel, BSA Group
Hazar El-Chamaa, Partner, Immigration Team, Penningtons Manches Cooper

12:15– 13:15 Lunch

13:15 – 15:00 Legal update and student visas
Chair: Sabrina Kadi, In-House Legal Counsel, BSA Group
Hazar El-Chamaa, Partner, Immigration Team, Penningtons Manches Cooper

15:00 – 15:15 Break

15:15 – 16:00 Ukraine – supporting refugees
Chair: Sabrina Kadi, In-House Legal Counsel, BSA Group
Jeremy Quartermain, Headmaster, Rossall School
Valeria Samborskaya, CEO, Business Link

16:00 Conference close

Speakers:

Sabrina Kadi, In-House Legal Counsel, BSA Group

Caroline Nixon: International & Membership Director, BSA Group & Director, BAISIS

Caroline has worked in international education for 30 years. As Caroline Nixon Education, she has worked on many successful projects including helping UK schools to establish new overseas branches, advising an international school opening in the UK, assisting an educational group to set up a guardianship agency, and advising schools on academic and pastoral provision for their international students.

Before becoming a consultant, Caroline was Principal of Taunton School International and set up a new school for international children aged 8-14. She was also responsible for the international marketing of, and admissions into, Taunton School.

Caroline is also Director, BAISIS (British Association of Independent Schools with International Students), a member of the British Council International Education Advisory Group, and a member of the advisory group to the British Government’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Students.

Simon Nathan, Head of Policy, Independent Schools Council

Simon leads the policy and public affairs team, managing ISC’s relationships with Ministers, civil servants and MPs on behalf of member schools. Since taking post in January 2019, Simon has led ISC’s work on promoting the value of independent schools within political debate, the response to Labour proposals for abolishing the sector at the last election, and co-ordinating work on Covid.  Prior to joining ISC Simon worked for trade bodies in construction and the education policy team at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). He has a degree in economics and politics from Cambridge University.

Owen Metcalfe, Student Migration Policy Team, Migration & Citizenship Directorate, Migration and Borders Group, Home Office

Thomas Hickman, Home Office

Phillip Wall, Home Office

Victor Okafor, Home Office

Dale Wilkins: Senior Director, BSA Group

Dale joined the BSA during Summer 2017 with responsibility for safeguarding and standards. In July 2019 he also assumed responsibility for the BSA’s training programme, including both day seminars and accredited training courses. Dale leads on all safeguarding and inspection matters for the BSA, including managing the Commitment to Care Charter, the annual Safeguarding Conference, the Safeguarding Forum. He has also developed a process of BSA Accreditation for our overseas members.

For 31 years Dale was a boarding practitioner. After boarding positions at Norwich School and Tettenhall College, Dale became a Housemaster at Old Swinford Hospital in 1992, and was promoted to Deputy Head in 2007, and subsequently also DSL. He has also been a multi-agency trainer for the Dudley Safeguarding Children’s Board and has been closely involved in inspection in state and independent boarding since 2002. Dale had previously been a BSA course tutor since 1998 and developed the BSA Self-Assessment Toolkit.

Hazar El-Chamaa, Partner, Immigration Team, Penningtons Manches Cooper

Hazar is a partner in the immigration team and heads Penningtons Manches Cooper’s private wealth immigration offering.  She qualified in 2006 and joined the firm the same year.  With over 15 years’ immigration experience she advises high net worth individuals looking to relocate to the UK, working alongside colleagues in the private wealth team to provide a full service covering tax, family and real estate.

Also recognised for her expertise in the education sector, Hazar’s clients include universities, independent schools and large private education providers, whom she assists on all aspects of compliance, risk management, restructuring and business strategies. She is experienced in providing global immigration solutions to large multinational organisations from a wide range of sectors including retail, sports, entertainment and technology. She advises on immigration, citizenship and EU law, appeals, judicial review applications and challenges to Home Office decisions which affect sponsors. Fluent in Arabic, she has contacts throughout the Middle East, in particular the UAE, and regularly visits the region.

Hazar is a frequent speaker on immigration law and gives training on compliance with sponsorship licence duties under Tier 4 and Tier 2 as well as with prevention of illegal working legislation. She is an elected trustee of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (ILPA) and has provided training for ILPA, the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) and the Boarding Schools Association. Hazar is recommended by Chambers HNW and The Legal 500 and is included in the Citywealth Leaders List 2018 for immigration.

Jeremy Quartermain, Headmaster, Rossall School

Jeremy is Head of Rossall School in Lancashire. Prior to this he was Deputy Head (Academic) at Brentwood School and Head of Sixth Form at Gresham’s School in Norfolk. Rossall School has the highest pupil roll in its 178-year history and is renowned for its sporting prowess, strong academic results and excellence within the performing arts. Jeremy holds history degrees from Cambridge University and Trinity College, Dublin. He has worked overseas in both the Emirates and Ireland, and has worked within the boarding sector for almost fifteen years. Jeremy is married to Fiona (a SEND teacher) and has three young daughters.

Valeria Samborskaya, CEO, Business Link

Valeriya Samborskaya is co-owner and CEO of Business Link Educational Agency. She has 20 years of experience working in international education and management and sees her role in bringing Ukraine to the world stage in her area. Following her experience of studying in a British boarding school herself as a child, Valeria returned to Ukraine to start her career early at Business Link, where she has been organising large educational fairs and events and building a partner’s network in the UK.

Valeria is Director of ‘British Homes and Schools for Ukrainians (BHSU)’, a newly registered CIC, with a purpose to help Ukrainians relocate and establish a dignified temporary independent livelihood in the UK during a time when they cannot go back to their homes in Ukraine, in a way that will enrich and support everyone involved.