Click here to read more about the UKTI-supported trade mission to South West China and Shanghai in September 2010.

There are opportunities in the region for:

• sustainble education
• primary/secondary English teacher training
• curriculum design and management
• ELT in Changsha
• vocational training co-operation with Changsha schools

Immigration Minister Damian Green and UK Border Agency Chief Executive Lin Homer undertook to work with English UK and its members to look for alternative solutions to maintaining the controversial language requirement for visa-national students on English language courses.

Further to the changes announced by the UKBA last week, please find the main points that concern member centres and the ELT industry. Stephen Lloyd MP and Julian Huppert MP have also tabled an EDM, which we would urge you to ask your MP to sign if they are allowed to.

Penningtons Solicitors LLP, the law firm acting on behalf of English UK at the recent judicial review, has produced a news release about the UKBA's decision to raise the English language course level back to B1 by a statement of changes.

Click here to read their news release in full.

English UK today said it was “very disappointed” at the decision by the UK Border Agency to again raise the level of English proficiency required for UK student visas.

As of July 23, students below degree level must again prove that they have reached level B1, which is just below A Level standard. This includes students who want to learn English in the UK, a situation which English UK Chief Executive Tony Millns has described as “clearly absurd”.

The last date that the current (white) CRB forms can be accepted by the CRB was 20th July 2010. The new (purple) application forms will be accepted from 26th July 2010.

If you would like to order some of the new style forms please contact Kathryn (info@englishuk.com) specifying how many forms you would like. Please note that due to high demand there may be a waiting list for the new forms.

English UK held another successful inward mission in late May for 15 agents from South America. The busy schedule included visits to Bournemouth, Torquay, Paignton, Exeter, Bristol and London, and was run in association with English UK South West.

Hothouse Media's weekly webzine "Your World on Monday" featured English UK's high court judicial review this week. The webzine can be accessed here.

Mr Justice Foskett instructed that a change back to the A1 level of English for students wanting to study on a General Student Visa would be effective immediately.

To read the judgement document in full, please click here.

More than 3,000 jobs and over £600 million a year in foreign earnings have been saved for the UK economy by a High Court judgement on which international students can come to the UK.

English UK has today won its case in the High Court against the last Home Secretary’s decision to raise the level of English which students must have before they can get a UK visa to learn the language here.

The Government's decision to raise the required level of English for visa students applying to study the language in the UK was challenged in the High Court this week. English UK's judicial review centres on the way in which the minimum language requirement for the General Student Visa was raised earlier this year from "elementary" (A1 on the Common European Framework of Reference) to "intermediate" (B1).

A group of ten English UK member schools are delighted to announce the formation of The English Network (TEN). All members are independent schools based in England and have a combined experience in the industry of over 400 years. The members have formed TEN to pool their experience and improve their service to clients, while continuing to operate as independent organisations.

For more information about TEN, please click here.

Thank you to all our partners for nominating us as LTM Stars! English UK has been nominated for the Star School Association Award again in 2010.

Winners will be announced just prior to StudyWorld London at the Language Travel Magazine Star Awards ceremony on Saturday 4 September. They will also be published in the August issue of Language Travel Magazine, which you can access here from 1 August. 

Tourism2012Games.org is a great new online resource for anyone who works in hospitality, leisure or tourism or any other business sector that wants to get involved with the 2012 Games.

The UK Border Agency's online visa application system, Visa4UK, will be offline for maintenance from 0700 British Standard Time (BST) on Monday 5 July 2010 until 0700 BST the following day (Tuesday 6 July). You will not be able to apply online, or access your visa application, during this time.

If you require urgent travel to the UK, for example to attend a funeral or for urgent medical treatment, you should contact your nearest visa application centre.

We apologise for any inconvenience.