1. ARC UKBA Practitioner's Group Credibility Interviews Jon Pink Academic Registrar, University of Kent

2. Credibility Interview Issues - Example 1 You have applied to study pre-sessional English course from 28/04/2013 30/08/2013 at the XXXXXX. I note that you previously studied an English course at YYYYY. You abandoned this course 1 month into a 9 months course. When asked at interview why you abandoned this course you advised you felt it was too long. I am not satisfied that this is credible given that the course you now propose to go on, although shorter in length, actually finishes 2 months after your previous course would have. I also note that when asked what you did when you returned to China you advised you self-studied English but you demonstrated a low standard of English at your interview. Given these inconsistencies I am not satisfied that you are a genuine student. In view of this I am therefore not satisfied that you meet the requirements of paragraph 245ZV(k) of the Immigration Rules and I therefore refuse your application for entry clearance. UKBA Compliance VisitsPage 2

3. Credibility Interview Issues - Example 2 'You advised that you finished studying textiles in 2002 and have been working as a photo journalist for Beijing News for 10 years. You propose to go to the UK to do an 18 week English course and then a Masters in Visual Anthropology from September 2013 for 1 year. You advised that this would cost around £40,000 in total. When asked what you would do when you finish your studies in the UK you advised you would return to China and return to the same job. It is not credible that somebody would spend £40,000 to take 18 months out of their life to study in the UK, to simply return to the same job. You did state you had been 'encountering problems' in your job and felt the Masters degree would help you with this however you were unable to elaborate further when asked. You also gave inconsistent answers regarding who was paying for your studies in the UK. You initially stated you would be paying for it yourself and this was clarified by saying you would pay for it solely. However later in the interview when you were asked to provide evidence to show the origin for a deposit of 203,000RMB made a week before your interview, you stated it was from your mother's account. These inconsistencies cast doubt on your credibility I therefore refuse your application' etc etc UKBA Compliance VisitsPage 3

4. Credibility Interview Issues - Example 3 You stated that you completed your full time study in Pakistan in 2012 intermediate in dental hygiene. Against this background you now intend to return to study in order to follow DEI Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare Support Services at XXXXXXX and in order to do so you have taken out a substantial loan from the bank. You state that at the end of the course you intend to return to Pakistan because as a family you intend to establish a hospital trust and you will establish a dental laboratory as you are a dental hygienist. However the course contents you described relating to the diploma do not relate to starting a hospital business/trust or a dental laboratory, indeed there are no elements of dentistry in the proposed course. You have therefore, not demonstrated that you undertook serious research before deciding on your course or place of studies and i am not satisfied your post-study plans relate to the proposed course. There is no evidence to show how completion of this course or how this single qualification will enable you to achieve your post-study plans. The course fees are £3500 and maintenance is £7200 making a total of £10,700. You state your father is financing your studies and he earns Rs 150,000 (£993: £Rs 151) a month, however you state your father financially supports 4 people. This level of financial outlay is not commensurate with your family’s personal and financial circumstances in Pakistan. I am not therefore satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, you are a genuine student and refuse your application under paragraph 245ZV(K)..... UKBA Compliance VisitsPage 4

5. Credibility Interview Issues - Example 4 We had a situation earlier this year in which one of our prospective Nigerian students was asked to attend a Credibility Interview. However the date of the interview was scheduled for after our latest start date. The student asked if the interview could be brought forward so that if he was successful in obtaining his visa, he could still arrive in time to start his course. This request was refused and as a result the student has had to defer their entry to our September intake. So while this is obviously not a visa refusal due to a credibility interview, it is still a major cause for concern especially in view of the roll out of increased credibility interviews. UKBA Compliance VisitsPage 5

6. Credibility Interview Issues - Example 5 I emailed our agents recently to ask if they had experienced any issues - with any applicants, not just for UoH. There was a good response, most advising that their applicants had not been required to attend (and the expectation is that there won't be any major impact until the interviews are fully rolled out) so they couldn't really comment. One agent had experience of a student visa being rejected following an interview and felt this was mainly because the student was taken unaware by the nature of the interview (unexpected telephone call). The interviews have been compulsory in Pakistan for the past year and have involved applicants taking the time and trouble to travel to Islamabad for five minutes of basic questioning. Our main agent there has not had any refusals to date following these "interviews". UKBA Compliance VisitsPage 6

7. Credibility Interview Issues - Example 6 You have been interviewed in relation to your application. You are an A Level student in Sri Lanka and would be abandoning your course after 1.5 years to follow and NQF6 course. I acknowledge that a British qualification would be beneficial to your long term prospects. You appear to have chose the course solely on the recommendation of a friend. Whilst I accept the value of personal recommendation, you appear to have done little research of your own and did not name any other educations establishments that you had considered. In addition you knew little about the course or course context. Your account of why you are studying now and why you are studying at University X lead me to doubt that you are a genuine student. In view of the foregoing, you do not meet the requirements to be granted entry clearance under Tier 4 General Student and I refuse your application under paragraph 245ZV(k) of the immigration rules. UKBA Compliance VisitsPage 7

8. Credibility Interview Issues - Example 7 You were sent an email to xxxxxxx@hotmail.com and an interview was arranged for 11/04/2013.xxxxxxx@hotmail.com You did not attend the interview and have not contacted us to explain why. As you have failed to attend the interview I am refusing your application under paragraph 320 (7D) of the immigration rules for failure, without providing a reasonable explanation to comply with a request made on behalf of the Entry Clearance Officer to attend interview. Your application is also refused under para 245ZV (a). UKBA Compliance VisitsPage 8

9. Credibility Interview Issues - Example 8 UKBA Compliance VisitsPage 9

10. Table Discussions and Feedback Credibility Interviews Add presentation title here in the Slide MasterPage 10

11. Lunch Add presentation title here in the Slide MasterPage 11