Academic Technology Approval Scheme
Encyclopedia
The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) is a scheme of the British government for certifying foreign students from outside the EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

 for entry into the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 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
Weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...

 (WMD), by ensuring that applicants do not have links to WMD programmes.

Affected students undergo a screening system to validate their reasons for coming to the UK.
According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...

, 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.

In the earlier "Voluntary Vetting Scheme", some universities (such as Bristol University) were voluntarily reporting suspicious students from certain countries (including Iran and Egypt) to the government. With the introduction of ATAS, Cambridge University, which had refused to take part in the voluntary system, was required to cooperate with the authorities, too.
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