Academic Technology Approval Scheme
The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) is a scheme of the British government for certifying certain foreign students for entry into the United Kingdom to study or conduct research in certain technology-related fields. For these students, obtaining an ATAS certificate is a prerequisite for obtaining a visa. The ATAS was introduced on 1 November 2007 to prevent dissemination outside the UK of knowledge and skills that can be used to build and deliver weapons of mass destruction (WMD), by ensuring that applicants do not have links to WMD programmes.[1]
The UK government provided an instrument to ward against potential terrorists, who wish to create weapons of mass destruction with their new found scientific knowledge. It plans to avoid the situation in which the UK becomes threatened by countries that have a desire to create weapons of mass destruction. Students from outside the EU on relevant courses will have to go through a screening system to verify that they are coming to the UK for the right reasons. [2] According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the checks will attempt to filter out those students who are coming for the wrong reasons. It will apply to chemistry, engineering, physics, biophysics, metallurgy and microbiology.
The system replaces a voluntary scheme in which universities agreed to report suspicious students from countries of concern, such as Iran and Egypt, to the authorities. Cambridge University, which had previously refused to participate in the voluntary vetting, will now be obligated to report its students. Other universities are more compliant about this situation.