Question: What do I need to do if I'm sponsoring a student who is distance learning?

Answer passage (source: UK):
page_title: Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for Tier 2, 4 and 5 sponsors
section_headers: If your student or employee is absent
section_content: We will not take enforcement action against sponsors who continue to sponsor
students or employees despite absences due to coronavirus.
You do not need to report student or employee absences related to coronavirus.
This can include absences due to illness, their need to isolate or inability
to travel due to travel restrictions.
You do not need to withdraw sponsorship if because of coronavirus:

a student is unable to attend for more than 60 days
an employee is absent from work without pay for more than 4 weeks

We will keep this under review.

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
Provides guidance that will lessen the stress on the person sponsoring the student.
This does not answer the question. The answer contains information about reporting or withdrawing sponsorship for students or employees who are absent from study or work for more than 4 weeks. However, the question is asking for information on sponsoring students who are distance learning.

Reviewer ratings:
Acceptable
Bad

Answer passage (source: UK):
page_title: Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for Tier 2, 4 and 5 sponsors
section_headers: If you’re sponsoring a student who is distance learning
section_content: You can continue to sponsor existing Tier 4 students who are continuing their
studies through distance learning, whether they are in the UK or another
country.
If a student has permanently withdrawn from their studies or deferred their
studies for reasons unrelated to coronavirus, you must report this as usual.
You do not need to withdraw sponsorship for new students who have been issued
a Tier 4 visa but are distance learning because they have been unable to
travel to the UK.
New international students who have not yet applied for a visa but want to
start a course by distance learning do not require sponsorship under Tier 4.
This is because they do not need to travel to the UK.
You do not need to tell the Home Office when students have moved to distance
learning.
These arrangements will apply until 31 May 2020, when they will be reviewed.

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
Provides information on sponsorship of students who are distance learning. Such as guidance for students who have no been able to travel to the UK.
This is a direct answer to the question. It provides information on sponsoring existing Tier 4 students who are doing distance learning due to Covid-19.

Reviewer ratings:
Acceptable
Excellent

Answer passage (source: UK):
page_title: Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for Tier 2, 4 and 5 sponsors
section_headers: If you’re sponsoring a student who’s waiting for their Tier 4 visa application to be decided
section_content: You may allow students to start their studies before their visa application
has been decided if:

you are a Tier 4 sponsor (other than Tier 4 Legacy Sponsors)
you have assigned the student a CAS
the student submitted their application before their current visa expired and has shown you evidence of this
the course they start is the same as the one listed on their CAS
the student has a valid Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate if required

Your reporting responsibilities start from the date that you issue the CAS,
not from the date that their application is granted.
If the student’s application is eventually rejected as invalid or refused you
must terminate the student’s studies.
*[CAS]: confirmation of acceptance for studies

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
Context of answer is directed at institutions and not to someone sponsoring a student.
This does not answer the question. This information is about sponsoring students whose visa have not yet been decided and not students who are distance learning.

Reviewer ratings:
Bad
Bad