37Students have a maximum of 12 months to bring their complaint to the OIA.
37.1We encourage students to bring their complaint as soon as possible after the conclusion of the higher education provider’s processes. This is because the more time that has passed since the events giving rise to a complaint, the more difficult it is likely to be for us to review that complaint. In addition, the passage of time can also affect what can be done to put things right if we find the complaint to be Justified or Partly Justified. For example, some courses may have completion deadlines, or a higher education provider may no longer offer a course. In situations like these, we could not recommend that the student is reinstated on their course even if we found their complaint Justified.
37.2Our Guidance Note about Completion of Procedure Letters says that a Completion of Procedures Letter should state the date by which we must receive the Complaint Form. For example, if the Completion of Procedures Letter is dated 7 September, the Completion of Procedures Letter must state that we must receive the complaint on or before 7 September the following year.
37.3We will not accept a complaint which is received more than 12 months after the date of the Completion of Procedures Letter. We can offer the student help with completing the Complaint Form, and we may accept the complaint in another format if the student is not able to complete the Complaint Form for reasons related to a disability.
