Not a Blocker, a Bridge: Recruiting Safely in High-Risk Markets

Philip Dupont • September 24, 2025

Some recruitment teams see admissions compliance tools as a hurdle, something that slows down offers and frustrates applicants. The truth is the opposite. In high-risk markets, where the potential for growth is matched by the potential for fraud, the right compliance partner is not a blocker, it is a bridge. It connects your growth ambitions to the assurance UKVI and auditors expect, so you can recruit widely without losing sleep.

With access to more than 53,000 trusted sources across 195 countries, Qualification Check helps universities turn compliance into a growth strategy.

Why Risk Feels Like a Roadblock

For admissions teams, the risks are clear. A transcript that looks official but turns out to be fake. An awarding body that is difficult to verify. An applicant who is not who they claim to be. Each one is a potential compliance failure and a threat to licence security.

For recruitment teams, the pressure is different. Their priority is to meet ambitious intake targets, often with the remit to diversify into new markets and regions. But if those markets carry a greater risk of fraud, the drive to hit numbers can clash with the need to stay compliant.

Without the right systems, what should be a shared goal, bringing in qualified international students, starts to feel like a tug-of-war between growth and compliance.

When Universities Pull Back

We are already seeing examples of UK universities stepping away from markets considered higher risk. Recent reports highlight institutions pausing recruitment in some regions or scaling back certain programmes in response to visa refusal rates and tighter compliance thresholds The PIE News.

These are not isolated incidents. The tightening of UKVI’s Basic Compliance Assessment rules has raised the stakes for everyone. With thresholds reduced, there is far less room for error. High refusal rates that might once have been uncomfortable are now potentially catastrophic for licence security.

That is why some universities are retreating from high-risk markets altogether. But stepping back is not the only option. With stronger verification and identity checks at the admissions stage, you can control refusal rates and keep growing, even when the compliance bar is set higher than ever.

From Red Lights to Green Lights

But pulling back does not have to be the only option. On our platform, every check is carried out at source, with written confirmation from the awarding body. That gives you certainty that a qualification is genuine. Layer in Digital Identity Verification, and you know the applicant is genuinely who they say they are, before a CAS is ever issued.

Instead of retreating from high-demand regions, you can step forward with confidence, knowing your admissions process has built-in safeguards.

Compliance as Your Growth Partner

Some teams worry compliance tools will slow them down. In practice, they speed you up. By catching problems earlier in the admissions process, you avoid the wasted effort of chasing fraudulent applicants, the cost of issuing CAS to ineligible students, and the stress of refusals undermining your BCA performance.

Compliance done well is not a gate that shuts students out, it is a bridge that lets the right ones through.

What Our Clients Say

Our partners tell us that working with Qualification Check has shifted their perspective. Compliance is no longer the enemy of recruitment, it is the friend that makes ambitious growth possible.

As Samantha Matthews, Head of Admissions at the University of Westminster, explained:

“We actually saw really good feedback from our international team and agents, which we were quite surprised about initially.”

That kind of feedback shows how admissions compliance tools are not just about satisfying UKVI, they can also strengthen collaboration with recruitment teams and agents by giving everyone confidence in the process.

Growth Without Compromise

Recruiting in high-risk markets will never be risk-free, but it does not have to be a gamble. With Qualification Check, you can widen your global footprint, meet compliance requirements, and prove to auditors that you are in control.

The result? Admissions teams sleep easier, recruitment teams hit their targets, and the university grows with confidence.

Philip Dupont has been with Qualification Check for over eight years and is Head of Business Solutions.

Philip works closely with universities, employers, and screening partners to ensure they have the right set-up and the most effective Qualification Check tools for their needs.

With his deep knowledge of verification challenges across global education and recruitment, he helps clients configure solutions that improve compliance, efficiency, and the applicant experience.