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UK Council for International Student Affairs UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023-24

Contents

General information	3
Objects, activities, governance, and structure	4
Introduction	9
In uencing policy	11
Delivering world-leading advice and training	14
Empowering our membership	17
Disseminating our knowledge	20
Developing excellence	24
Public bene t	26
Independent auditor report	27
Financial report	31
Statement of nancial activities	35
Balance sheet	36
Cash ow statement	37
Notes to the accounts	38

2 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

General information

Registered charity number: 1095294 A company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales number: 4507287 Operating address and registered o ce: Woburn House 20–24 Tavistock Square London WC1H 9HQ Telephone: +44 20 7288 4330 Advice line: +44 20 7107 9922 Website: www.ukcisa.org.uk Management and administration Banker: Bank of Scotland 33 Old Broad Street London BX2 1LB Auditor: Moore Kingston Smith LLP Chartered Accountants 6th Floor 9 Appold Street EC2A 2AP Solicitors: BDP Pitmans 1 Bartholomew Close London EC1A 7BL Bates Wells 10 Queen Street Place London EC4R 1BE

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 3

Objects, activities, governance, and structure

Constitution

UKCISA is a company limited by guarantee and is also registered as a charity operating under the working name of the ‘UK Council for International Student A airs’. The company’s former name, until a change in the Articles in 2007, was UKCOSA: The Council for International Education. UKCOSA was rst established as an unincorporated body in 1968 and as a company limited by guarantee on 1 April 2003.

Objects and activities

Consistent with its constitutional objects of advancing education and learning with particular reference to international students, UKCISA aims to:

Increase support for international education and raise awareness of its values and bene ts.
Encourage best practice, professional development and the highest quality of institutional support for international students throughout the education sector.
Promote opportunities for – and identify and work to reduce obstacles and barriers to – greater student mobility.

It achieves its aims by:

Monitoring and in uencing government and education sector policy through close contact with senior o cials, policy makers, members of national parliaments and assemblies, partner organisations and sector bodies throughout the UK.
Producing regular publications that keep members and students up to date on current legislation, regulations and resources.
Delivering high quality advice for both UKCISA members and students/ members of the public.
Delivering training to UKCISA members and others working with international students to assist with immediate areas of di culty and to enhance professional expertise for new and experienced practitioners.
Supporting, sustaining and expanding a network of members committed to the ideals of international education and the highest standards of international student support.
Initiating and encouraging research which helps to identify key issues and areas for future investigation and development.
Working indirectly and in partnership with others to encourage greater mobility from, as well as to, the UK.
Ensuring, through support from trustees, its specialist sta and e ectively managed resources, that it delivers highly valued services for UKCISA members and other stakeholders.

4 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Objects, activities, governance, and structure

President

Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea, CBE, DL

Board of Trustees

The ten elected and three co-opted members of the Board of Trustees (plus the Chair and Honorary Treasurer) are the charity’s directors and members of the Company and are responsible for managing UKCISA’s a airs. The co-opted members are chosen for their particular skills and experience. All newly appointed trustees receive a comprehensive induction and are given access to appropriate training relevant to their Board position. The Board met four times during the year.

During the course of the year, and up to the date of approval of this report, the trustees were:

Chair

Professor Koen Lamberts University of She eld (Vice Chancellor)

Members

Mervyn Adams City of Glasgow College (appointed May 2023) Lynsey Bendon University of Sunderland in London Hannah Brian Independent Consultant Emma Gwynnett-Davies Swansea University Nora De Leeuw Leeds University (resigned June 2023) Elizabeth Huckle Imperial College London Maria Loray Manchester Metropolitan University (appointed May 2023) Alan MacKay University of Edinburgh (Honorary Treasurer,

University of Edinburgh (Honorary Treasurer, resigned Nov 2023) London Business School

Ross Porter London Business School Alex Proudfoot Independent Higher Education (resigned July 2024) Sally Saca Oxford Brookes University Laura Rose-Troup Newcastle College Cathryn Turhan Imperial College London (appointed May 2023) Hamish Walker Robert Gordon University Peter Barnes Studyportals (Honorary Treasurer, appointed January 2024)

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 5

Objects, activities, governance, and structure

Student Ambassador trustees Sára Kozáková Student Ambassador (appointed January 2023) Adityavarman Mehta Student Ambassador (appointed January 2024) Company Secretary Abida Khan Head of Finance and Resources (resigned June 2024) Shreena Dholakia Interim Head of Finance and Resources (appointed June 2024)

Key management personnel Anne Marie Graham Chief Executive Julie Allen Director of Member Services & Policy (resigned October 2023) Abida Khan Head of Finance and Resources (resigned June 2024) Shreena Dholakia Interim Head of Finance and Resources (appointed June 2024) Heather Knight Head of Advice and Training Yinbo Yu Head of Engagement and Partnerships

6 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Objects, activities, governance, and structure

Committees

Following a comprehensive governance review, our committee structure was revised and the UKCISA Board is now supported by six committees.

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Finance,
audit & risk
Student Strategic
AISA
advisory advisory
Board of ICN Practitioner
Trustees networks
STRATIS
Membership Nominations
People &
organisational
development
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Finance, audit and risk

This committee meets three times a year. The purpose of the committee is to support the trustees to e ciently discharge their responsibilities in exercising nancial control and managing the charity’s nances. The remit of the committee includes oversight of nancial strategy, accounting matters, budgetary control, risk management and external nancial reporting. The committee recommend the annual budget, report, and accounts to the Board for approval.

Membership

This committee meets 1–2 times a year. The purpose of the committee is to oversee UKCISA’s membership structure and advise the Board on matters related to its membership categories.

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 7

Objects, activities, governance, and structure

Nominations

This committee meets 1–2 times a year. The purpose of the committee is to assist the Board in ful lling its obligations in respect of succession planning and selecting candidates for the Board, honorary o cers and senior executive positions.

People and organisational development

This committee meets 1–2 times a year. The purpose of the committee is to advise the Board on organisational people-related matters and to support UKCISA’s senior management team to implement appropriate policies as part of a wider HR strategy.

Strategic advisory (including UKCISA’s practitioner networks)

This committee meets three times a year. The purpose of the committee is to support trustees by informing UKCISA’s strategic priorities, providing a forum for cross-sector engagement, and overseeing key aspects of the international student experience. This includes guiding the #WeAreInternational brand and #WeAreInternational Student Charter and advising UKCISA’s work in advocacy and in uencing policy.

Student advisory

This committee meets four times per year. The purpose of the committee is to provide UKCISA with the student voice and advise the Board on major strategic decisions, projects and policies.

8 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Introduction

Dear colleagues,

This year brought signi cant shifts in the student immigration system, with rule changes and fee increases a ecting the experience of international students in the UK, as well as the workloads of UKCISA members in student sponsors across the UK.

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Lord Karan
Bilimoria
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Professor
Koen Lamberts
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Anne Marie
Graham
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We saw the introduction of restrictions on dependants of postgraduate taught students and a rapid review of the Graduate route, as well as noteworthy increases to the visa application fees, the immigration health surcharge (IHS) and the salary threshold for the Skilled Worker route.

Change on this scale always impacts on advisers, not least those working at UKCISA. Our Advice and Training team analysed an unprecedented number of statements of changes to the immigration rules in 2023-24 and updates to fee guidance from the four UK governments, to ensure that we provided our members and their international students with timely advice and guidance. As well as updating our core training to re ect these policy changes, we expanded our training o er to include innovative content – including a new strand on in uencing policy and developing their coaching skills. Our agship member event, the UKCISA Annual conference, took place in Wales for the rst time in over a decade and provided the opportunity for our member communities to come together to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the #WeAreInternational campaign that speaks so authentically to our vision and mission.

Our #WeAreInternational campaign continues to deliver for our members and students. Our #WeAreInternational grants programme concluded in March 2024, funding small but impactful projects across our membership to bene t the international student population. Our #WeAreInternational Student Charter is being used in a range of ways across our membership, and we look forward to disseminating case studies in the months ahead to highlight how di erent member institutions are using it to enhance the international student experience.

Our events for members and students facilitated opportunities for our members and stakeholders to engage directly with UKCISA’s inspirational #WeAreInternational Student Ambassadors. We recruited our fth cohort of ambassadors in late 2023, bringing new voices into the programme, and we graduated our third cohort into our ambassador alumni community. Our ambassadors continue to connect us to the authentic international student voice to help shape the experience for current and future students, and our UKCISA Fest enabled us to engage with and celebrate a wider range of international student voices.

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 9

Introduction

Internally, our new governance structure is being established, providing new mechanisms to inform our Board of Trustees and support our expert practitioner networks in student advice and immigration compliance. We continue to build a sustainable organisation for the future, collaborating with our members and sector partners to advocate for positive policy change.

We continue to strengthen meaningful relations with key government departments. Our regular engagement with colleagues from the Home O ce in policy and operations provides an invaluable channel through which to share insights and intelligence from our members. As we come to the end of a Department for Education in England grant for international student support, we have an opportunity to re ect on how UKCISA has played a key role in delivering on the government’s International Education Strategy and disseminating positive messages, including under the #WeAreInternational banner. We look forward to continuing to work with UK governments to deliver a world-class international student experience and attract the next generation of global talent.

This work would not be possible without the hard work of the UKCISA team, our members, and our student ambassadors, as well as the support of our trustees and committee members. We are extremely grateful for their continued commitment to UKCISA’s vision for the international student experience.

Signed by,

Lord Karan Bilimoria, President

Professor Koen Lamberts, Chair of the Board of Trustees

Anne Marie Graham, Chief Executive

10 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

In uencing policy

UKCISA works with UK government departments, agencies, devolved administrations, and sector organisations to ensure that the UK remains attractive and welcoming to prospective and current international students. We monitor policy related to international education and immigration and advise on implementation of policy and related guidance.

Marking boycott

Due to the ongoing University and College Union dispute, a marking boycott took place at many member institutions between April and September 2023. Following requests from UKCISA, the Home O ce agreed to have special arrangements for educational institutions with students whose applications under the Graduate route might have been a ected by the marking boycott.

Application and IHS increases

In October 2023, the government increased the fee for a student immigration application and announced the increase of the IHS for January 2024. In response, UKCISA ran a member consultation to gather views to feed back the impact on current students and potential decline in recruitment. We also ran multiple pulse surveys for students on the impact of the Graduate route review and included questions on the impact of increasing visa and IHS fees, to gain an understanding of student sentiment.

Digital status

As the process to convert physical biometric immigration documents into digital status begins, UKCISA continues to remind the Home O ce and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) about the need for safeguarding and protecting migrants. We have emphasised our concerns about managing data and the need for easy-to-navigate systems to rectify errors and have also reminded the UKVI of the need to retain decision letters for migrants that explain their immigration status (the length and conditions of their immigration permission). We have also raised points about the roll-out of the digital status – asking that the process and requirements for migrants are made clear and are available early, and that the Home O ce ensures protection for those who do not register for an online account by any given deadline.

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 11

In uencing policy

Premium customer support team (PCST)

We have worked with the UKVI to help them ensure that there is continued and su cient support for educational institutions following the termination of the PCST in October 2023. Thanks to our members, we have gathered information and presented emerging issues to the UKVI, explaining the impact of these issues on our members and students and suggesting ways of resolving these, while continuing to highlight problems in the various channels of communications that have been in place post-PCST.

Other immigration work

Following reports from UKCISA members, we highlighted to the UKVI that there were a growing number of errors in cancellations of student immigration permission. We explained the impact of these errors after collecting anonymous data from our members and explained the need for an urgent way to resolve these. As a result, errors were reduced.

Following the changes to the student dependant policy announced by the Home O ce in May 2023 (concerning students on postgraduate courses), we made representations to the Home O ce that there should be no further restrictions on any other group of students eligible to bring dependants.

We regularly asked that any proposed changes to policy be made through consultation with the sector and given a long lead time. When the Statements of Changes to the Immigration Rules were published, we ensured that our members were supported in understanding such changes, through our website, news items and a weekly member newsletter.

Moving forward, we continue to attend meetings, and actively contribute to the work of the Simpli cation of the Rules Committee, the Home O ce’s Education Advisory Group, and the UKVI sector meetings.

Pulse surveys and consultations

In order to gather student perspectives on changes to policy (immigration or otherwise), UKCISA established regular pulse surveys that ran throughout the year. The results gathered from these have so far been used to demonstrate the students’ views to our members at UKCISA Connect events and sector events we attended. We have submitted ndings from consultations that we have responded to since September 2023 when the rst pulse survey was conducted.

12 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

In uencing policy

We have also had regular discussions with our members, sector organisations, and student ambassadors on sector-wide consultations and pieces of work. Examples of these were when writing the UKCISA position paper, ‘Equity, inclusion and innovation: a sustainable international student policy’, published April 2024, for the Home O ce consultation on maintenance requirements and for our response to the O ce for Students Harassment and Sexual Misconduct.

International Student Employability Group (ISEG)

UKCISA continues to chair the ISEG, which brings together sector bodies working to support international student employability.

This year, ISEG introduced guest speakers to their quarterly meetings to update on initiatives and gather insight from the group. Guests have included Higher Education Student Support Champion (HESSC) colleagues to discuss their work on employability, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) to talk about apprenticeships, and Jisc to discuss graduate outcome data.

The group has also published resources and toolkits in collaboration with ISEG members to share the bene ts of the Graduate route to employers, institutions and students, which can be found on the ISEG page of the UKCISA website. Additionally, there has been continued work with Jisc to explore how data on international graduate outcomes can be enhanced, the gathering of evidence for the All-party Parliamentary Group (APPG) Report: Graduate Visa Inquiry 2023, and discussions to inform the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) rapid review on the Graduate route.

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 13

Delivering world-leading advice and training

Our team of experts provides high-quality advice and guidance and delivers a national training programme that is relevant and responsive to the external policy context. We support our members through changes to the immigration system and fee regulations, and encourage career progression in international support.

Advice lines

Our advice lines for UKCISA members and the public o er access to a specialist team of O ce of the Immigration Services (OISC)-registered advisers, who hold a wealth of experience in advising on international student a airs.

This year, we have responded 4,700 to over enquiries

Over Over 3,000 1,600 enquiries on enquiries to our student our member advice line advice line

14 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Delivering world-leading advice and training

Our members said:

“ Excellent training. It has provided me with the knowledge I needed, and I feel much more con dent.”
“The delivery was good, and the information provided was broken down well making it easy to digest.”
“ The training was wellplanned and delivered in a very professional manner.”
“It was great to have my questions answered, and any uncertainty I had was cleared up.”

Online training programme

UKCISA has expanded its comprehensive and e ective training programme online, making it easier for our members from all over the UK to participate. Our a ordable prices allow multiple team members to join sessions together, promoting knowledge exchange and peer support.

We address members’ needs by managing waiting lists, scheduling repeated sessions, and providing customised training for speci c groups. After each session, we actively seek feedback to maintain quality standards. Annually, we conduct a thorough survey to assess members’ preferences regarding content, delivery methods and format. This approach enables us to re ne our training programmes e ectively, ensuring they remain aligned with the evolving needs of our members and upholding our commitment to excellence.

28 956 training attendees ? sessions

Immigration manual

“ It was useful, informative and I would de nitely recommend it.”

Between April 2023 and March 2024, the Home O ce published six Statements of Changes to the Immigration Rules. During this period, there were also changes to guidance, policy and practice, including the end of the PCST, the phasing out of biometric residence permits, and the introduction of electronic travel authorisations. In response, members of the Advice and Training Team updated over 50 pages of our online immigration manual, several of them more than once, and usually in less than two weeks after the changes came into e ect. Our focus for the next year is the transfer of the manual to the new website and how best to use this opportunity for further improvement in functionality and usability.

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 15

Delivering world-leading advice and training

‘Home’ fees

This year, we provided information and tailored advice for students and members on wide-ranging changes to eligibility for ‘home’ fee status in all four UK nations. We published fresh versions of our separate ‘Who pays ‘home’ fees for higher education?’ guides for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and updated our website information for Scotland.

We sought clarity from the Scottish government on important points for students and members, when it extended ‘home’ fee eligibility to certain people with time-limited immigration permission. Additionally, we liaised closely with the Department for Education about changes needed to make ‘home’ fee status more secure for people from Ukraine, and then explained these changes to students and members.

This work enabled students to present the right information to fee assessors and helped our members to more con dently assess and advise international students in their fee assessment work.

Lobbying work with the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) team

UKCISA is a member of a working group led by the Russell Group that meets with ATAS team members monthly. Since the rst meeting in December 2021, we have been engaging with the ATAS team and representing members’ views and experiences on the ATAS system. We are currently engaged in collaborative work with the ATAS team on new guidance that is due to be published in 2024.

16 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Empowering our membership

Our members said:

“I’d like to say a sincere thank you to UKCISA for all the support and guidance that I have received over the past decade of membership.”

“I called the UKCISA advice line to seek some guidance on an issue, and my query was dealt with in exemplary fashion. I am always impressed by the expertise o ered, and the willingness to help. UKCISA o ers excellent service!”

“I have been to many UKCISA training events and annual conferences and have made frequent use of the member advice line. The work UKCISA does is hugely appreciated and immensely valuable. It has certainly made my job a lot easier!”

UKCISA’s members are from across the education sector, all committed to the highest standards of international student support. We aim to re ect the diversity of our membership in our advocacy work and in the services we provide.

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426
members
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68 190 further education higher education institutions institutions

124 44 corporate and students’ education sector unions organisations

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 17

Empowering our membership

Our members said:

Annual conference

UKCISA Annual conference 2023, held in Cardi , o ered a comprehensive exploration of key themes within the international education landscape. Representatives from Universities Wales, Global Wales, Taith, and British Council Wales led an engaging plenary session looking at the international education agenda in Wales. Additionally, the event featured contributions from UKCISA’s #WeAreInternational Student Ambassadors, showcasing the diverse perspectives and experiences of international students studying in the UK. Notably, a high-pro le update panel discussion and Q&A session involving members of the UK Home O ce policy and operations teams provided valuable insights into current regulatory and operational considerations. Experienced members and sector experts delivered presentations and shared examples of good practice throughout the three-day event.

“We really enjoyed UKCISA Annual conference, and I have to say it proved to be our number one conference of the year!”

“ There was a huge selection of content and high energy throughout, including ample time to engage with exhibitors.”
“I really enjoyed conference! It was an opportunity for me to get to speak to people 56 at institutions all over the UK, but also sessions including for me to step out of my comfort zone. The sessions were informative and fun, and the gala dinner was 8 400
a particular highlight!” online attendees
_ |

18 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Empowering our membership

UKCISA Connect

In January 2024, we launched our UKCISA Connect events, which built upon the success of last year’s relaunched member events. We restructured these events to focus on pertinent issues such as the potential in uence of the forthcoming general election on the future of international education, the impact of the current policy climate, and sustainability within the sector.

Delegates not only heard about the work UKCISA is doing but also from leading voices within the sector. The new format facilitated in-depth exploration of the subjects, providing participants with crucial insights and allowing attendees to contemplate broader trends and decisions across the sector that impact on their work and students’ experiences.

The lively discussions generated among delegates were fantastic to hear, and it was heartening to see that our attendees, representing our entire membership and all the nations of the UK, shared a common objective – to enhance the experiences of international students in the UK.

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60+
institutions from
across the UK
100+
19
attendees
speakers
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UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 19

Disseminating our knowledge

“My time with UKCISA has been transformative, both personally and professionally. The skills and insights I’ve gained through my interactions within and outside the organisation have been invaluable. My journey has been enriched by the dedication of the UKCISA team and the enthusiasm of fellow ambassadors and mentors. I am immensely grateful for this experience and am excited about the continuing impact we can make together.”

Xiaoxiao Hou,

WeAreInternational Student Ambassador

“ I have so much gratitude for the role that UKCISA has played in shaping my experience in the UK. I’ve found signi cant purpose in representing the student voice as an international student ambassador for UKCISA. I’m thankful for the mentorship I’ve received at UKCISA and will always strive to contribute to the organisation and the international student experience in the UK to the absolute best of my capabilities.”

Aditya Mehta, #WeAreInternational Student Ambassador

International students are at the heart of everything we do at UKCISA – from ensuring that their voices are heard to providing them with trusted advice and guidance. This year, we highlighted the experience of international students and our members across a range of platforms and forums.

#WeAreInternational Student Ambassador Programme

The #WeAreInternational Student Ambassador Programme is UKCISA’s network of future global leaders. We empower international students to shape a highquality student experience, using their knowledge and rst-hand experience of studying in the UK to in uence policy and develop an inclusive global community.

In 2023–24, we appointed a new cohort of #WeAreInternational Student Ambassadors alongside our existing cohort. Our student ambassadors developed their policy knowledge and leadership skills to lead change by:

sharing their international student experience at annual sector conferences such as UK ENIC (the UK national agency for international quali cations and skills), the British Universities’ International Liaison Association (BUILA), Universities UK International, Independent HE, the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), and UCAS
engaging with UKCISA members by sharing their experiences at UKCISA Annual conference and UKCISA Connect events through panels, round tables, and focus groups
taking part in round-table meetings and panels with the International Higher Education Commission, the APPG on International Students, Jisc, the PIE, and London Higher.

In 2023–24, #WeAreInternational Student Ambassadors spoke at over

30 events at nearly 5 i A Ga 34 sessions and engaged with

government and sector agencies in the UK and from around the world 15

20 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Disseminating our knowledge

“UKCISA Fest truly made the UK feel like a melting pot of cultures and introduced me to the next generation of leaders. The delegates brought exhilarating passion and enthusiasm to improve things for international students. I was fortunate to be given a platform to speak on employability and heard some important feedback from the audience. It truly seemed like a celebration of the international student population in the UK.”

Bringing international students together at UKCISA Fest

On 15 November 2023, we hosted UKCISA Fest, our annual free one-day event for international students in the UK to celebrate International Students’ Day and inform policy and practice through lived experience. 61 international students participated in six plenary and interactive sessions, in which they explored and discussed diverse aspects of their student experience including:

the policy process and environment in the UK
international student voice and representation in policymaking
stakeholder management
employability
academic experience

The students came from 25 countries and regions around the world and represented 51 institutions across the UK.

In the evening, 30 UKCISA members, sector partners and policy makers were invited to attend the UKCISA Annual reception to celebrate International Students’ Day with the international student attendees.

Vartika Khandelwal,

WeAreInternational Student Ambassador

61 international students participated in 6 plenary and interactive sessions

students came from students represented 25 51 countries and institutions regions around across the UK the world

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 21

Disseminating our knowledge

Providing trusted information and guidance

Our website is a trusted source of information and guidance for our members, as well as international students and their families. This year, we saw a proportionate increase in visits from the UK to our website in comparison to tra c from overseas.

Top ve web pages

England: HE fee status
Home or overseas fees: the basics
Student work
Student route eligibility and requirements
Graduate route

Top news story

Student update: changes to the Immigration Rules (21 July 2023)

16,572 views

Web tra c

Over 3 million visits to our website

UK – 59% Rest of the world – 41%

Top 10 website users across the world

United Kingdom
India
United States
Nigeria
Pakistan
Germany
China
Ghana
France
United Arab Emirates

France returned to the top 10 this year, taking the place of Hong Kong, which dropped to 12 on the list.

22 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Disseminating our knowledge

Promoting UKCISA

Our social media channels bring together a community of UKCISA members and international students. In 2023–24, our followers increased across all platforms. LinkedIn and Instagram both saw signi cant increases, while engagement more than doubled on both Facebook and Instagram. We used social media to communicate important information to members and international students, including updates about changes to the Graduate route, and the relaunch of the #WeAreInternational campaign.

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Followers
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8,547

8 560 ,

6 097 ,

5,065

Annual increase +5.4%

Annual increase +49.3%

Annual increase +5%

Annual increase +36.6%

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 23

Developing excellence

The commitment and expertise of UKCISA sta are highly valued by international students, members and partner organisations. We have strived to maintain this excellence by promoting a culture of continuous improvement to ensure that sta remain engaged and motivated.

Supporting sta

What is it like working at UKCISA?

“My time at UKCISA so far has been eventful. From the get-go, I was both supported in my growth and given opportunities to learn about the sector and its challenges. Having a small team means that you are naturally connected to your colleagues, and the nature of my role allows me to work across teams, giving me the opportunity to forge strong bonds with people.

I have been able to lead initiatives like the student pulse surveys to gain semi-regular insights directly from international students and graduates. I have written regular publications like the Annual policy review, which helps ensure I am keeping on top of sector data analysis and reading up on reports. And I have engaged in work that involves direct contact with members, whether it is running consultations or supporting #WeAreInternational grant projects. I look forward to seeing where UKCISA takes me next on my journey in international student policy!”

Iona Murdoch, Policy O cer

24 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Developing excellence

“What truly distinguishes UKCISA is its commitment to making a real di erence in the lives of international students in the UK. Knowing that our work directly impacts their experiences and fosters a promising future for prospective international students makes me proud to work here. Time after time, I have been impressed by the dedication, passion, and empathy of my colleagues at UKCISA, who advocate every day for the thousands of international students here in the UK.

As a former international student myself, I am also particularly appreciative of UKCISA’s commitment to amplifying the international student voice through the work of the #WeAreInternational student ambassadors. I know rst hand that it can be di cult to feel at home and supported while pursuing your studies abroad, but being part of UKCISA and its work gives me hope for future generations of international students who will come to the UK with just their suitcases and dreams of a brighter future.”

Carolyn Sowa, Programme O cer (Student Ambassadors)

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 25

Public bene t

The trustees con rm that they have complied with Charity Commission guidance on public bene t, including ‘Public Bene t: running a charity (PB2)’. In particular:

The advice and training services have enabled university and college sta to advise international students on immigration-related rules and procedures, including those which are and are not, as yet changing.
The advice line for students and the general public has provided a free and impartial service, open to all who need relevant guidance – especially at a time of considerable concern about UK immigration policy.
UKCISA’s website, with its comprehensive information items, provides open access advice and guidance on all aspects of living and studying in the UK.
The work in support of good practice in international student welfare is informed by its international student ambassador programme and contributes to an improved quality of experience for international students studying in UK further and higher education.
UKCISA’s practical and specialist knowledge has enabled representations to government which have bene ted all international students wishing to study or studying in the UK.

26 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Independent auditor’s report

Independent auditor’s report to the members of UKCISA

Opinion

We have audited the nancial statements of UKCISA for the year ended 31 March 2024 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Summary Income and Expenditure Account, the Balance Sheet, the Cash Flow Statement and notes to the nancial statements, including signi cant accounting policies. The nancial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard Applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’ (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the nancial statements:

give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s a airs as at 31 March 2024 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;
have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s Responsibilities for the audit of the nancial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the nancial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have ful lled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is su cient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the nancial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the nancial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identi ed any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast signi cant doubt on the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the nancial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the nancial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the nancial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 27

Independent auditor’s report

Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the nancial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the nancial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

the information given in the trustees’ annual report for the nancial year for which the nancial statements are prepared is consistent with the nancial statements; and
the trustees’ annual report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identi ed material misstatements in the trustees’ annual report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
the nancial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration speci ed by law are not made;
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
the trustees were not entitled to prepare the nancial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies exemption in preparing the trustees’ annual report and from preparing a strategic report.

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on page 12, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the nancial statements and for being satis ed that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of nancial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the nancial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

28 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Independent auditor’s report

Auditor’s Responsibilities for the audit of the nancial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the nancial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to in uence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these nancial statements.

As part of an audit in accordance with ISAs (UK) we exercise professional judgement and maintain professional scepticism throughout the audit. We also:

Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the nancial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is su cient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.
Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purposes of expressing an opinion on the e ectiveness of the charitable company’s internal control.
Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by the trustees.
Conclude on the appropriateness of the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast signi cant doubt on the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the nancial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor’s report. However, future events or conditions may cause the charitable company to cease to continue as a going concern.
Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the nancial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the nancial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.

We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and signi cant audit ndings, including any signi cant de ciencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.

Explanation as to what extent the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below.

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 29

Independent auditor’s report

The objectives of our audit in respect of fraud, are; to identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the nancial statements due to fraud; to obtain su cient appropriate audit evidence regarding the assessed risks of material misstatement due to fraud, through designing and implementing appropriate responses to those assessed risks; and to respond appropriately to instances of fraud or suspected fraud identi ed during the audit. However, the primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of fraud rests with both management and those charged with governance of the charitable company.

Our approach was as follows:

We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory requirements applicable to the charitable company and considered that the most signi cant are the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011, the Charity SORP, and UK nancial reporting standards as issued by the Financial Reporting Council.
We obtained an understanding of how the charitable company complies with these requirements by discussions with management.
We assessed the risk of material misstatement of the nancial statements, including the risk of material misstatement due to fraud and how it might occur, by holding discussions with management.
We inquired of management and those charged with governance as to any known instances of non-compliance or suspected non-compliance with laws and regulations.
Based on this understanding, we designed speci c appropriate audit procedures to identify instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. This included making enquiries of management and those charged with governance and obtaining additional corroborative evidence as required.

There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above. We are less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations that are not closely related to events and transactions re ected in the nancial statements. Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to any party other than the charitable company and charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Jonathan Aikens (Senior Statutory Auditor)

for and on behalf of Moore Kingston Smith LLP, Statutory Auditor 6th Floor, 9 Appold Street, EC2A 2AP

30 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Financial statements

Financial report

Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the nancial statements

The trustees (who are also directors of UKCISA for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees’ annual report and the nancial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires trustees to prepare nancial statements for each nancial year which give a true and fair view of the state of the a airs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these nancial statements, the trustees are required to:

Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently.
Observe the methods and principles in the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice.
Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
State whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the nancial statements.
Prepare the nancial statements on the going concern basis, unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the nancial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the nancial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and nancial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of nancial statements may di er from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Statement as to disclosure to our auditor

In so far as the trustees are aware at the time of approving our trustees’ annual report:

There is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditor is unaware.
The trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information.

The nancial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles of Association and the requirements of the Statement of Recommended Practice ‘Accounting and Reporting by Charities’.

Financial review

UKCISA’s total annual income to 31 March 2024 was £1,617k. This is an 4.3% increase on the previous nancial year. Membership income represents 52% of total income, government grants represents 22% of total income with the remaining and income from training and conference contributing to 26% of total income.

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 31

Financial statements

Our funding from the Department for Education continued in 2023-24, to the value of £340k. This grant supported our work in four key areas: student advice relating to higher education in England, the #WeAreInternational Student Ambassador programme, UKCISA Grants scheme and our role in convening the sector on international student issues. This grant has not been renewed for 2024-25. We received a £20,000 grant from the Scottish Government to sustain our activities speci cally in Scotland.

Membership subscriptions accounted for more than half our income at £863k and have historically remained at close to this level. Income from our annual conference and training activities amounted to £409k during 2023–24.

UKCISA’s total annual expenditure this year was £1,617k. During the nancial year, UKCISA utilised its full sta budget and UKCISA sta costs including employers’ national insurance and pensions stood at £1,208k. Sta are employed to carry out activities that directly contribute to the ful lment of UKCISA’s charitable activities in the form of delivering training, providing advice, organising our conference, maintaining online learning resources, lobbying, in uencing policy, communicating with our members, and engaging with international students.

Looking ahead, we are launching a new website to better serve our membership. We will continue to support our members and international students via our advice line and our comprehensive online guidance, and look to strengthen our training programme even further. We are keen to develop a membership strategy to enable us to retain, reengage and recruit members across the education sector. We are also refreshing our income generation strategy to re ect the loss of our DfE funding and the likely pressure on government contracts in the coming years. We continue to engage regularly across government departments to advocate for the international student experience in policy development and high-level strategic planning, including with the Home O ce and the devolved administrations of the UK. We are working closely with our expert practitioner networks Association of International Student Advisers (AISA), STRATIS and Immigration Compliance Network (ICN), and with our in uential student ambassadors, to ensure that we capture timely insight to inform our conversations with government.

Reserves

At 31 March 2024, the reserves held were as follows:

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
£ £
General funds 1,015,743 285,688
Designated funds 15,712 108,516
Restricted funds 29,352 32,926
----- End of picture text -----

General funds are the general reserves not immediately required for any speci c purpose. They are used by UKCISA in order to:

Provide working capital.
Allow UKCISA to provide continuity of service if income levels were to uctuate, thereby giving time to seek new sources of revenue or to reduce costs.

32 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Financial statements

Allow UKCISA to provide continuity of service if it had to cope with increases in expenditure that could not be accurately forecast.
Provide funds to cover any shortfalls in the share of the USS pension scheme liability.
Ensure that in the worst possible circumstances, it would be possible to pay all creditors and wind up the organisation.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds that have been set aside from general funds for speci c purposes. Designated funds set aside in 2023 have been utilised with remaining balances for funds no longer required transferred back to general funds. The current designated fund consists of £15,712 for the UKCISA research fund, to support research in areas of the international student experience.

Restricted funds are funds that can only be used for purposes speci ed by the fund donor. In this case, the funds relate to the AISA and the ICN. Both of these groups are special interest groups and are legally part of UKCISA.

The Finance, risk, and audit committee review the reserves policy regularly with the aim to keep general funds between a lower level of four months planned annual expenditure and an upper level of four and a half months of annual expenditure. This model of reviewing reserves provides clarity for the purposes of organisational investment if reserves are above the ceiling level and corrective action if reserves are below the minimum level. This would provide a su cient bu er to ful l the aims above and give enough time for UKCISA to adapt its business model should unforeseen circumstances impair nancial performance.

As at March 2024, general funds stood at just over £1m and free reserves at £926k, meeting our reserves policy of maintaining between 4–4.5 months annual expenditure. However, this is in view of the release of the USS pension scheme liability. Looking ahead with the knowledge of the loss of the DfE grant income, the Finance, Audit & Risk Committee are reviewing the reserves policy to ensure su cient funds are set aside and allocated to best serve the needs of the organisation.

Pension liability

The USS trustee has con rmed via a formal valuation of the fund in March 2023 that the pension fund is now in surplus and there is no de cit recovery plan contributions required from 1 January 2024. The pension liability provision of £606,897 has therefore been released. Please see note 21 for further information.

Risk management

The trustees have a risk management strategy which comprises:

Regular review of the key risks and uncertainties that the charity faces.
The establishment of policies, systems, and procedures to mitigate those risks identi ed in the review.
The implementation of procedures designed to minimise or manage any potential impact on the charity should those risks materialise.

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 33

Financial statements

This work has identi ed that the ability to maintain core funding streams and cope with foreseeable cost increases are the major nancial risks for the charity. Key elements in the management of these nancial risks are:

Regular liaison with both the Department for Education to ensure they remain informed of the value of UKCISA’s work in supporting international students.
Regular liaison with the Scottish Government to ensure they are well informed of the use of their funding in achieving UKCISA’s objectives.
Maintenance of UKCISA’s membership base to ensure that subscriptions and training and conference income is secure.
An e ective annual budgeting process that takes account of actual and potential uctuations in both revenue streams and cost elements to ensure that charges are adequate an in line with longer term strategy.
Carrying out modelling of the charity’s future mid-term nancial position against various scenarios.
Close monitoring of nancial performance by the Senior Management Team on a regular basis.

Pay policy for senior sta

The directors consider the Board of Directors, who are the Trust’s trustees, and the Senior Management team comprise the key management personnel of the charity in charge of directing and controlling, running and operating the charity on a day-to-day basis. All directors give of their time freely and no director received remuneration in the year. Details of directors’ expenses and related party transactions are disclosed in note 8 to the accounts.

The pay of the Chief Executive is set according to a framework approved by the People and Organisational Development committee. Additionally, a ordability of the UKCISA Pay Award is approved by the Finance, Audit and Risk committee. All senior sta have their salaries set by reference to the UKCISA’s pay structure. This revised pay structure has been in place since 1 July 2021 after a detailed salary benchmarking exercise. The new independent pay structure was approved by the Board of Trustees at the board meeting on 24 May 2021. The pay structure is reviewed annually at the May Finance, audit and risk committee meeting to ensure a ordability of pay awards.

The nancial statements that follow have been prepared in accordance with the provisions of part 15 of the Companies Act 2016 relating to small companies.

Signed on behalf of the Board of Trustees:

Koen Lamberts

Koen Lamberts (Nov 20, 2024 21:04 GMT)

Koen Lamberts (Nov 20, 2024 21:04 GMT) Peter Barnes (Nov 13, 2024 14:39 GMT) Professor Koen Lamberts Peter Barnes Chair Honorary Treasurer

34 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Financial statements

Statement of nancial activities

for the year ended 31 March 2024

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Funds
General Designated Restricted Total Total
funds funds funds 2024 2023
Note £ £ £ £ £
----- End of picture text -----

		Unrestricted Funds	Unrestricted Funds
		General funds	Designated funds	Restricted funds	Total 2024	Total 2023
	Note	£	£	£	£	£

Income and expenditure account
Income
Donations & legacies
Grant-in-aid
Department for Education		-	-	340,000	340,000	338,700

Charitable activities
International student services	3	1,272,165	-	31,400	1,303,565	1,239,513

Interest received	4	162	-	-	162	3,500
Total incoming resources		1,272,327	-	371,400	1,643,727	1,581,713

Expenditure
Charitable activities
International student services	5	1,241,973	-	374,974	1,616,947	1,549,709
Total outgoing resource		1,241,973	-	374,974	1,616,947	1,549,709

Net income before transfers and pension provision		30,354	-	(3,574)	26,780	32,004
Actuarial gains on de ned bene t pension scheme	21	606,897	-	-	606,897	22,155
Transfers between funds	17	92,804	(92,804)	-	-	-
Net movement in funds		730,055	(92,804)	(3,574)	633,677	54,159

Funds at 1 April 2023		285,688	108,516	32,926	427,130	372,971
Funds at 31 March 2024		1,015,743	15,712	29,352	1,060,807	427,130

All gains and losses arising in the year are included in the Statement of Financial Activities and relate to continuing activities.

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 35

Financial statements

Balance sheet

for the year ended 31 March 2024

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2024 2023 2023
Note £ £ £ £
----- End of picture text -----

		2024	2024	2023	2023
	Note	£	£	£	£

Fixed assets
Intangible xed assets	11		88,043		-
Tangible xed assets	12		1,308		2,138
			89,351		2,138
Current assets
Debtors and prepayments	13	330,161		560,065
Cash at bank and in hand	14	1,481,212		1,243,408
		1,811,373		1,803,473

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year	15	(839,917)		(771,584)
Net current assets			971,456		1,031,889

Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year	15
Provision of pension liability			-		(606,897)
Total assets			1,060,807		427,130

Represented by:
Unrestricted funds
General funds			1,015,743		285,688
Designated funds	17		15,712		108,516
Restricted funds	18		29,352		32,926
Total funds			1,060,807		427,130

These nancial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees on 6th November 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

Koen Lamberts

Koen Lamberts (Nov 20, 2024 21:04 GMT)

Koen Lamberts Chair

----- Start of picture text -----
Peter Barnes (Nov 13, 2024 14:39 GMT)
----- End of picture text -----

Peter Barnes Honorary Treasurer

6 November 2024

Company number: 4507287

Charity number: 1095294

36 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Financial statements

Cash ow statement

for the year ended 31 March 2024

	2024	2023
	£	£
Cash provided by operating activities	326,975	(239,333)

Cash ows from investing activities
Purchase of xed assets	(1,290)	(1,345)
Interest income	162	3,500
Intangible asset additions	(88,043)	-

Cash provided by investing activities	(89,171)	2,155

(Decrease) / Increase in cash and cash equivalents in the year	237,804	(237,178)

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year	1,243,408	1,480,586

Total cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year	1,481,212	1,243,408


Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash ow from operating activities

Net movement in funds	633,676	54,159
Add back depreciation charge	2,120	3,719
Deduct interest income shown in investing activities	(162)	(3,500)
Decrease/(Increase) in debtors	229,904	(348,735)
(Decrease)/Increase in creditors	68,333	77,179
(Decrease)/Increase in pension provision	(606,897)	(22,155)
Net cash provided by / (used in) operating activities	326,975	(239,333)

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 37

Notes to the accounts

for the year ended 31 March 2024

1 Constitution

UKCISA is incorporated as a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no. 4507287), and a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (no. 1095294). UKCISA operates under the working name of “UK Council for International Student A airs”. The liability of each member of the company is limited to £1 in the event that the company is wound up.

2 Accounting policies

The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the nancial statements are as follows:

Basis of preparation

The nancial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006. UKCISA meets the de nition of a public bene t entity under FRS 102. These accounts are prepared in Sterling which is the functional currency of the charity and are rounded to the nearest pound.

Going concern

The Trustees have assessed whether the use of going concern is appropriate and have considered possible events or conditions that may impair UKCISA’s ability to continue to operate as a going concern. The Trustees have made this assessment for a period of one year from the date of approval in the nancial statements. In making this assessment, the Trustees have reviewed the diversity of UKCISA’s income streams and the nancial viability of UKCISA. Whilst our membership income remains steady as well as income from our training, our government grant from the DfE has been withdrawn for 2024–25. The Trustees believe this loss of income can be recovered through growth and alternative income streams, putting in place an income generation group speci cally tasked to return the organisation to a more stable footing. UKCISA maintains a healthy reserves balance and receives membership subscriptions in advance of the subscription period. It is for these reasons that the Trustees continue to adopt the going concern principle when preparing these nancial statements.

Fixed Assets

Apart from purchases of individual items costing less than £1,000 and computer software, which are written o in full in the year of purchase, all xed assets are depreciated / amortised over their anticipated useful lives on a straight line basis as follows:

computers and other o ce equipment	3 years
furniture	5 years
leasehold improvements	over the unexpired period of the lease
intangibles: website	5 years

Grants receivable

Grants receivable are accounted for on an accruals basis. Grants received for speci c purposes are treated as restricted funds.

38 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Notes to the accounts

Membership, a liation and subscriptions

Fees in respect of membership, a liation and subscriptions are accounted for on an accruals basis.

Interest receivable

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity; this is normally upon noti cation of the interest paid or payable by the Bank.

Financial instruments

The company has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its nancial instruments. Financial instruments are recognised in the company’s balance sheet when the company becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument. Financial assets and liabilities are o set, with the net amounts presented in the nancial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set o the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.

With the exceptions of prepayments and deferred income all other debtor and creditor balances are considered to be basic nancial instruments under FRS 102. See notes 13 and 15 for the debtor and creditor notes.

Judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty

In the application of the company’s accounting policies, the directors are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may di er from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision a ects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision a ects both current and future periods.

The most signi cant estimates and assumptions which a ect the carrying amount of assets and liabilities in the accounts relate to:

Useful Economic Lives - The annual depreciation charge for property, plant and equipment is sensitive to change in the estimated useful economic lives and residual value of assets. These are reassessed annually and amended were necessary to re ect current circumstances.

Treatment of USS as a multi-employer scheme – FRS 102 makes the distinction between a group plan and a multi-employer scheme. A group plan consists of a collection of entities under common control typically with a sponsoring employer. A multi-employer scheme is a scheme for entities not under common control and represents (typically) an industry-wide scheme such as Universities Superannuation Scheme. The accounting for a multi-employer scheme where the employer has entered into an agreement with the scheme that determines how the employer will fund a de cit results in the

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 39

Notes to the accounts

recognition of a liability for the contributions payable that arise from the agreement (to the extent that they relate to the de cit) and the resulting expense in the SOFA in accordance with section 28 of FRS 102. The directors are satis ed that Universities Superannuation Scheme meets the de nition of a multi-employer scheme and has therefore recognised the discounted fair value of the contractual contributions under the recovery plan in existence at the date of approving these nancial statements.

Pension bene ts

The institution participates in Universities Superannuation Scheme. The assets of the scheme are held in a separate trustee-administered fund. Because of the mutual nature of the scheme, the assets are not attributed to individual institutions and a scheme-wide contribution rate is set. The institution is therefore exposed to actuarial risks associated with other institutions’ employees and is unable to identify its share of the underlying assets and liabilities of the scheme on a consistent and reasonable basis. As required by Section 28 of FRS 102 “Employee bene ts”, the institution therefore accounts for the scheme as if it were a de ned contribution scheme. As a result, the amount charged to the pro t and loss account represents the contributions payable to the scheme. Since the institution has entered into an agreement (the Recovery Plan) that determines how each employer within the scheme will fund the overall de cit, the institution recognises a liability for the contributions payable that arise from the agreement (to the extent that they relate to the de cit) with related expenses being recognised through the pro t and loss account.

At 30 March 2023, the institution’s balance sheet included a liability of £606,897 for future contributions payable under the de cit recovery agreement which was concluded on 30 September 2021, following the 2020 valuation when the scheme was in de cit. No de cit recovery plan was required from the 2023 valuation, becuase the scheme was in surplus. Changes to contribution rates were implemented from 1 January 2024 and from that date the institution was no longer required to make de cit recovery contributions. The remaining liability of £606,897 was released to the pro t and loss account. Further disclosures relating to the de cit recovery can be found in Note 21.

Leased assets

Rentals payable under operating leases are written o in the year to which they relate.

Grants payable

Grants payable are accounted for when there is a commitment to make the payment.

Expenditure

Expenditure is allocated directly to the relevant activity wherever possible. Support costs comprise the costs of central management and administration. Costs common to a number of activities are apportioned in relation to the cost of sta time spent on that activity.

Governance costs relate to compliance with charity and company regulations and the strategic direction of the organisation.

VAT

The proportion of input VAT that is not recoverable is written o in the year in which it is incurred (note 20).

40 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Notes to the accounts

Fund accounting

“Unrestricted funds are those which are not subject to restrictions and any surpluses arising may be applied in furtherance of any of the organisation’s objectives. Designated funds form part of unrestricted funds and represent amounts set aside by the trustees for particular purposes. These funds may be returned to the general unrestricted funds at the trustees’ discretion.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used with speci c restrictions imposed by the donor or which have been raised by the charity for a particulary purpose. The costs of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specifc fund. The aim and use of each fund is set out in the notes to the nancial statements.

Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments, accessible within less than 3 months.

Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount o ered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulying from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after fallowing for any trade discounts due.

3 Income from charitable activities

----- Start of picture text -----
General Designated Restricted Total Total
funds funds funds 2024 2023
£ £ £ £ £
----- End of picture text -----

	General funds	Designated funds	Restricted funds	Total 2024	Total 2023
	£	£	£	£	£

International student services
Membership subscriptions	862,700	-	-	862,700	793,557
Training and conferences	409,465	-	-	409,465	393,806
AISA / ICN income	-	-	11,400	11,400	2,150
Grants receivable
Scottish Government	-	-	20,000	20,000	40,000
British Council Wales	-	-	-	-	4,000
AISA/ICN Block Grant	-	-	-	-	6,000
	1,272,165	-	31,400	1,303,565	1,239,513

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 41

Notes to the accounts

4 Investment income

All of the company’s investment income of £162 (2023: £3,500) arises from money held in interest bearing deposit accounts.

5 Expenditure on charitable activities

	Total 2024	Total 2023
	£	£
International student services
Direct charitable costs	1,345,116	1,284,753
Support costs (note 7)	219,620	206,148
Governance costs (note 7)	52,211	58,808
	1,616,947	1,549,709

6 Grants made during the year

Research grants of £4,000 were made to other institutions during the year (2023: £24,288).

7 Analysis of Support & Governance costs

	Support costs	Governance costs	Total 2024	Total 2023
	£	£	£	£
Sta costs	149,658	25,325	174,983	163,006
O ce and administration	69,962	26,886	96,848	101,950
	219,620	52,211	271,831	264,956

Governance Costs of £52,211 (2023: £58,808) comprise the audit fee £12,750 (2023: £11,085), implemenation of the NCVO governance review £900 (2023: £4,647) and a proportion of general overheads attributed to governance activities.

42 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Notes to the accounts

8 Sta costs

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
£ £
----- End of picture text -----

	2024	2023
	£	£

Salaries	839,710	786,773
Social security costs	91,755	79,222
Pensions costs	160,134	150,881
	1,091,599	1,016,876

Other sta costs, including temporary sta , consultants, recruitment and training	116,720	113,207
	1,208,318	1,130,083

Number of employees who received remuneration between:
£60,000 – £69,999	1	1
£80,000 – £89,999	-	1
£90,000 – £99,999	1	-

Pension contributions for the above employees amounted to £29,408 (2023: £30,416).

The company’s Memorandum of Association explicitly authorises payments to Trustees for work carried out for the company other than in ful lling the functions of a Trustee. Such payments may include, but are not limited to: writing publications and facilitating training courses. This year there were no such payments made to any Trustees (2023, none). No other remuneration was paid to any Trustee (2023, none). Out of pocket expenses claimed by and refunded to 5 trustees amounting to £1,397 (2023, £267).

There were no other related party transactions (2023: Nil).

The key management personnel of the charity comprise the trustees, the Chief Executive, Head of Advice & Training, Director of Policy & Services, Head of Finance & Resources and Head of Engagement and Partnerships. The total employee bene ts of the key management personnel of the Charity were £380,261 (2023: £343,350).

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 43

Notes to the accounts

9 Sta numbers

The average monthly head count was 22.6 sta (2023 : 22 sta ). This equated to an average monthly number of full-time equivalent employees (including casual and part-time sta ) during the year as follows:

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
----- End of picture text -----

	2024	2023

International student services	16.3	15.6
Support	2.7	1.6
Governance	0.5	1.2
	19.5	18.4

10 Net income for the year

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
£ £
----- End of picture text -----

	2024	2023
	£	£

Net income is stated after charging:
Audit fee – current year	11,500	10,250
Grant Audit fee – current year	1,400	1,250
Depreciation and impairment	2,120	3,719
Operating lease – property	18,226	78,722
Operating lease – equipment	4,489	8,379

11 Intangible xed assets

----- Start of picture text -----
Website Total
development
£ £
----- End of picture text -----

	Website development	Total
	£	£

All xed assets are held for use in connection with charitable activities
Cost
Total at 1 April 2023	-	-
Additions	88,043	88,043
Total at 31 March 2024	88,043	88,043
Operating lease – equipment
Amortisation
Total at 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024	88,043	88,043
Net Book Value
at 31 March 2024	88,043	88,043

44 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Notes to the accounts

12 Tangible xed assets

----- Start of picture text -----
Furniture Leasehold Total
and o ce improvements
equipment
£ £ £
----- End of picture text -----

	Furniture and o ce equipment	Leasehold improvements	Total
	£	£	£

All xed assets are held for use in connection with charitable activities
Cost
Total at 1 April 2023	33,876	2,400	36,276
Additions	1,290	-	1,290
Total at 31 March 2024	35,166	2,400	37,566

Depreciation
Total at 1 April 2023	31,738	2,400	34,138
Depreciation	2,120	-	2,120
Total at 31 March 2024	33,858	2,400	36,258

Net book value
at 31 March 2024	1,308	-	1,308

at 31 March 2023	2,138	1,440	2,138

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 45

Notes to the accounts

13 Debtors and prepayments

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
£ £
----- End of picture text -----

	2024	2023
	£	£

Trade debtors	65,197	73,083
Other debtors	1,683	30,649
Accrued income	97,361	346,365
VAT debtor	54,082	42,182
Prepayments	111,838	67,786
	330,161	560,065

Included within other debtors is an amount of £nil that is due after 1 year (2023: £nil) and a bad debt provision for an unreturned rental deposit.

14 Cash at bank and in hand

	2024	2023
	£	£
Cash at bank	1,380,712	1,142,908
Cash on deposit < 3 months	100,000	100,000
Cash in hand	500	500
	1,481,212	1,243,408

46 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Notes to the accounts

15 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
£ £
----- End of picture text -----

	2024	2023
	£	£

Taxation and Social Security	27,027	18,271
Other creditors	2,341	5,663
Deferred income	709,691	647,897
Accruals and provisions	55,644	74,538
Trade Creditors	45,214	25,215
	839,917	771,584

Deferred income relates to amounts received during 2023/24 for services to be carried out in 2024/25. The income deferred in 2022/23 has been fully reversed into 2023/24.

Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year

	2024	2023
	£	£
Brought forward pension provision	606,897	629,052
Movement	(606,897)	(22,155)
Carried forward pension provision
	-	606,897

16 Financial commitments

a) At the reporting end date the charity had the following future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases which fall due as follows:

	2024	2024	2023	2023
	Land and buildings	Other	Land and buildings	Other
	£	£	£	£
Within 1 year	15,399	-	45,681	2,094
2 to 5 years	24,382	-	45,152	-
	39,781	-	90,833	2,094

b) No capital expenditure had been authorised and contracted but not made at 31 March 2024 (2023, nil).

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 47

Notes to the accounts

17 Designated funds

	Total at 1 April 2023	Expenditure	Transfers from/(to) general funds	Transfers between funds	Total at 31 March 2024
	£	£	£	£	£
Fixed assets	1,531	-	(1,531)	-	-
Relocation	1,110	-	(1,110)	-	-
Webite Development	80,000	-	(80,000)	-	-
AISA/ICN Funding	8,000	-	(8,000)	-	-
UKCISA Research	15,712	-	-	-	15,712
IT Enhancements	2,163	-	(2,163)	-	-
	108,516	-	(92,804)	-	15,712

	Total at 1 April 2022	Expenditure	Transfers from/(to) general funds	Transfers between funds	Total at 31 March 2022
	£	£	£	£	£
Fixed assets	5,250	-	(3,719)	-	1,531
Relocation	10,000	-	(8,890)	-	1,110
Webite Development	40,000	-	40,000	-	80,000
AISA/ICN Funding	14,000	-	(6,000)	-	8,000
UKCISA Research	20,000	-	(4,288)	-	15,712
Governance Implementation	8,000	-	(8,000)	-	-
IT Enhancements	12,000	-	(9,837)	-	2,163
	109,250	(6,600)	(734)	-	108,516

The Fixed Asset Fund is intended to cover the ongoing depreciation charges on xed assets. Depreciation of £2,120 was incurred during the year which has been covered from general funds. It has been ageed for the remaining balance of £1,531 to be released to general funds.

The Relocation Fund was intended to cover the costs of relocating the head o ce during 2018/19. The relocation was completed but some funds had been retained in this fund to cover any dilapidations to the premises. The remainder of the fund has been used to cover the costs of relocation from Noble House to Woburn House. It has been agreed to release the remaining balance of £1,110 to general funds.

The Website Development fund had been designated, £40,000 2021/22 and an additional £40,000 2022/23, to develop the UKCISA website, these funds have been designated for 2 years, the

48 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Notes to the accounts

project is expected to be completed in 2024/25. This fund has been fully utilised with £88,043 of the website developments costs being capitalised during the year.

The AISA/ICN funding has been designated to support both of the specialised practioner groups AISA/ICN to develop self sustaining business models, funds have been designated for 3 years. With no speci c grant being issues to AISA/ICN these funds have been released to general funds,

UKCISA research fund has been designated to support research in areas of the international student experience, this will be in partnership or for commissioning its own research, funds have been designated for 2 years.

Governance Implementation fund designated in 2021/22 to cover consultancy costs to complete the governance review implementation phase. This fund was fully utilised in 2022/23.

IT Enhancements fund had been designated to support UKCISA with future IT enhancements and infrastructure requirements, funds have been utilsed in 2022/23 to replace lap-top stock across the sta team. It has been agreed to release the remaining balance of £2,163 to general funds with on-going IT costs to be drawn from general funds, in line with approved budgets.

18 Restricted funds

	Total at 1 April 2023	Income	Expenditure	Transfers from/(to) general funds	Total at 31 March 2024
	£	£	£	£	£
Department for Education	-	340,000	(340,000)	-	-
Scottish Government	-	20,000	(20,000)	-	-
British Council Wales	4,000	-	(4,000)	-	-
AISA Restricted Balances	11,769	3,150	(6,831)	-	8,088
ICN Restricted Balances	17,157	8,250	(4,143)	-	21,264
	32,926	371,400	(374,974)	-	29,352

Restricted funds represent:

Department for Education: grant to support our HE England Student Support activities and Sector Convening work.
Scottish Government: grant to sustain enhanced level of activity in Scotland.
British Council Wales: grant to support UKCISA’s grants programme in Wales.
AISA: Association of Student Advisors a specialised practioner group managed as a restricted fund.
ICN: Immigration Compliance Network is a specialised practitioner group managed as a restricted fund.

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 49

Notes to the accounts

19 Analysis of net assets between funds

	Unrestricted funds	Unrestricted funds
	Designated funds	General funds	Restricted funds	Total
	£	£	£	£
Tangible xed assets	1,308	-	-	1,308
Net current assets	14,404	1,015,743	29,352	1,059,499
	15,712	1,015,743	29,352	1,060,807

20 Irrecoverable VAT

VAT paid during the year which could not be recovered totalled £28,619 (2023, £13,789).

21 Pension costs

The total cost released to the pro t and loss account is £607k (prior year: £22k).

A de cit recovery plan was put in place as part of the 2020 valuation, which required payment of 6.2% of salaries over the period 1 April 2022 until 31 March 2024, at which point the rate would increase to 6.3%. As set out above, no de cit recover plan was required under the 2023 valuation because the scheme was in surpluson a technical provisions basis. The institution was no longer required to make de cit recovery contributions from 1 January 2024 and accordingly released the outstanding provision to the pro t and loss account.

The latest available complete actuarial valuation of the Retirement Income Builder is as at 31 March 2023 (the valuation date), which was carried out using the projected unit method.

Since the institution cannot identify its share of USS Retirement Income Builder (de ned bene t) assets and liabilities, the following disclosures re ect those relevant for those assets and liabilities as a whole.

The 2023 valuation was the seventh valuation for the scheme under the scheme-speci c funding regime introduced by the Pensions Act 2004, which requires schemes to have su cient and appropriate assets to cover their technical provisions (the statutory funding objective). At the valuation date, the value of the assets of the scheme was £73.1 billion and the value of the scheme’s technical provisions was £65.7 billion indicating a surplus of £7.4 billion and a funding ration of 111%.

50 UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24

Notes to the accounts

The key nancial assumptions used in the 2023 valuation are described below.

CPI Assumption	Term dependent rates in line with the di erence between the Fixed Interest and Index Linked yield curves less: 1.0% p.a. to 2030, reducing linearly by 0.1% p.a. from 2030
Pension increases (subject to a oor of 0%)	Bene ts with no cap: CPI assumption plus 3bps Bene ts subject to a “soft cap” of 5% (providing in ationary increases up to 5%, and half of any excess in ation over 5% up to a maximum of 10%): CPI assumption minus 3bps
Discount rate (forward rates)	Fixed interest gilt yield curve plus: Pre-retirement: 2.5% p.a. Post retirement: 0.9% p.a.
The main demographic assumptions used relate to the mortality assumptions. These assumptions are based on analysis of the scheme’s experience carried out as part of the 2023 actuarial valuation. The mortality assumptions used in these gures are as follows:
	2023 valuation
Mortality base table	101% of S2PMA “light” for males and 95% of S3PFA for females
Future improvements	CMI 2021 with a smoothing parameter of 7.5, an initial addition of 0.4% p.a., 10% w2020 and w2021 parameters, and a long-term improvement rate of 1.8% pa for males and 1.6% pa for females

The current life expectancies on retirement at age 65 are:

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
----- End of picture text -----

	2024	2023

Males currently aged 65 (years)	23.7	24.0
Females currently aged 65 (years)	25.6	25.6
Males currently aged 45 (years)	25.4	26.0
Females currently aged 45 (years)	27.2	27.4

UKCISA Annual report and accounts 2023–24 51

UKCISA

Woburn House 20–24 Tavistock Square London WC1H 9HQ ukcisa.org.uk @ukcisa

UKCISA is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (Company Number: 4507287) and a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (Charity Number: 1095294). Its registered o ce is at Woburn House, 20–24 Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9HQ.

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         

2024-03-31-accounts

Contents

General information

Objects, activities, governance, and structure

Constitution

Objects and activities

President

Board of Trustees

Chair

Committees

Finance, audit and risk

Membership

Nominations

People and organisational development

Strategic advisory (including UKCISA’s practitioner networks)

Student advisory

Introduction

In uencing policy

Marking boycott

Application and IHS increases

Digital status

Premium customer support team (PCST)

Other immigration work

Pulse surveys and consultations

International Student Employability Group (ISEG)

Delivering world-leading advice and training

Advice lines

Our members said:

Online training programme

Immigration manual

‘Home’ fees

Lobbying work with the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) team

Empowering our membership

Our members said:

Our members said:

Annual conference

UKCISA Connect

Disseminating our knowledge

Xiaoxiao Hou,

WeAreInternational Student Ambassador

Aditya Mehta, #WeAreInternational Student Ambassador

#WeAreInternational Student Ambassador Programme

Bringing international students together at UKCISA Fest

Vartika Khandelwal,

WeAreInternational Student Ambassador

61 international students participated in 6 plenary and interactive sessions

Providing trusted information and guidance

Top ve web pages

Top news story

16,572 views

Web tra c

Top 10 website users across the world

Promoting UKCISA

Developing excellence

Supporting sta

What is it like working at UKCISA?

Iona Murdoch, Policy O cer

Carolyn Sowa, Programme O cer (Student Ambassadors)

Public bene t

Independent auditor’s report to the members of UKCISA

Opinion

Basis for opinion

Conclusions relating to going concern

Other information

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

Responsibilities of trustees

Auditor’s Responsibilities for the audit of the nancial statements

Explanation as to what extent the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud

Use of our report

Jonathan Aikens (Senior Statutory Auditor)

Financial report

Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the nancial statements

Statement as to disclosure to our auditor

Financial review

Reserves

Pension liability

Risk management

Pay policy for senior sta

Koen Lamberts