Academic Technology Approval Scheme
The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) is a scheme of the British government for certifying foreign students from outside the EU 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]
Affected students undergo a screening system to validate their reasons for coming to the UK.[2] According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the checks will attempt to filter out those students who intentions are adverse to national security. Areas of study at which the ATAS is directed are 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, are now obligated to report its students. Other universities had been more compliant.[3] [4] [5]
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