Student Visa Compliance and Advice Team Leader in Newcastle upon Tyne

Salary: £32,080.00 - £34,610.00 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 14 May 2026

The Role

Registry & Education Services are looking for a proactive and committed Team Leader to help shape and deliver an excellent visa support service for the University’s international student community. You’ll guide a team of Visa Advice and Compliance Assistants, oversee key UKVI compliance processes and provide informed, professional immigration advice to students. You’ll bring strong knowledge of UKVI Student Sponsorship requirements, experience of using the Sponsor Management System, and confidence coordinating a team to meet priorities and targets. Your analytical mindset, calm approach under pressure, and commitment to accuracy will help to both safeguard our compliance, as well as enhance the student experience. Flexible working may be required at peak times and blended working (typically 2 days per week working from home) is available during the majority of the year.

Key Accountabilities

• Act as team leader for the Visa Support Team, providing daily coordination, guidance and line management to a team of Visa Advice and Compliance Assistants.
• Lead on key areas of the operational compliance function, including the reporting of timely notifications to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) through the UKVI Sponsor Management System.
• Lead on the analysis of key compliance trends to inform timely interventions on areas of risk.
• Facilitate any additional compliance measures identified to mitigate current or future compliance risk.
• Manage the Visa Support Team’s ‘right to study’ operations to ensure that student immigration records are accurate and up-to-date, as required by UKVI.
• Support the work of the Student Visa Advice Manager in ensuring the delivery of accurate, appropriate and professional immigration advice to both prospective and registered students at Newcastle University.
• Assist the Student Visa Advice Manager with the development of new student visa support services for prospective students to enhance the student experience and promote a smooth transition to the University.
• Provide accurate and considered immigration advice to students at IAA level 1.
• Oversee the maintenance of accurate web-based information for students in relation to student immigration advice and compliance.
• Respond to enquiries from students and staff in a timely, sensitive and informed manner.
• Act as first point of contact for complex student cases.
• Provide support to all functions of the Visa Support Team and assist with other Registry and Education Services events/activities as required.

The Person

Knowledge, Skills And Experience

• Knowledge of UKVI Student Sponsorship requirements.
• Experience of using UKVI’s Sponsor Management System.
• Experience of effectively managing others and coordinating and overseeing the work of a team.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, including the ability to liaise effectively and confidently with a wide range of colleagues as well as students/offer holders and external bodies.
• Excellent IT skills across a wide range of applications, including the ability to manipulate and analyse datasets in spreadsheets or databases.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills.
• Experience of delivering student visa advice to IAA level 1.

Attributes and Behaviour

• Ability to work and remain calm under pressure, manage conflicting priorities and meet strict deadlines.
• Meticulous attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy and integrity.
• An analytical and logical approach to complex situations.
• Ability to work independently and be proactive and positive in problem solving and issue-resolution.
• Works effectively within a team and actively seeks to assist team members with pressing or raised workloads.
• Flexible and confident approach to communicating complex and sensitive issues.
• Committed to delivering an effective and efficient service.

Qualifications

• Educated to ‘A’ Level or significant experience in a relevant role.

Desirable

• A degree or significant experience in a similar role.

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution. We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population. At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme. In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.