Student Visa

To receive your CAS you need to have cleared all conditions set out by the University on your offer document. Additional things may also be requested from you before a CAS is issued, such as completing a sponsorship interview or financial checks.

You should check your most recent offer letter and any emails from the University to see what conditions are still outstanding.

The following documents are usually required by the University for applications:

• Unconditional offer to study at the University.
• Completed University application – including a detailed personal statement
• Copies of your qualifications
• Completed Immigration History Questionnaire (IHQ) if you did not provide this at the point of application
• Copy of your passport photo/name page
• Copy of any previous UK visas (if applicable)
• Copy of any previous CAS which you used to obtain a previous Student visa (if applicable)
• Copy of all visa refusals you have received for any country (if applicable)
• ATAS certificate (if applicable)
• Tuition fee deposit
• If requested – your bank statements/sponsor letter which you intend to use with your visa application.

Your CAS will contain the University’s sponsor license number (SLN), all of your personal information, your course details, details of your qualifications that the University assessed to make you an offer to study and your course fees (including how much you have already paid to the University). You will need all of this information to complete your Student visa application form.

It is important that you check your CAS for any errors – including spelling mistakes. Personal details on your CAS (name, date of birth, nationality, gender, country of birth) must match the details in your current passport.

Download the accessible version of the CAS Guide

You will obtain 50 points for the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) sent to you by the University.

You will obtain 10 points for maintenance, the financial requirements which show you have sufficient money to cover your course fees and living expenses.

The final 10 points are for English language.

However as well as achieving 70 points, students may also be asked to attend an interview to assess their credibility as a student.

The earliest you can apply for a Student Visa is 6 months before the course start date stated on your CAS.

If you apply before this date your visa application will be refused.

Processing times vary so you should check the Home Office website for the latest times. Please note that during the summer months (June, July, and August) processing times may be longer due to the volume of applications received by the Home Office.

Do not leave it to the last minute to apply for your visa. Most countries have a minimum 15 working day processing time. Students will not be permitted to register after the given University deadline for registration, which is stated on your CAS.

If you are eligible to apply from within the UK, you must submit your new Student Visa application before you register at the University, even if you have time left on your current visa. Please contact the Student Immigration Team if you need any help with your application.

To apply for a Student Visa you must complete an online application form (unless you are applying from North Korea, where you must complete a paper application form).

You can make your Student Visa application online.

If you are overseas, you must apply for an entry clearance visa in your home country (or the country in which you are permanently resident) at your nearest British Embassy, British High Commission or British Consulate. You can find your nearest visa application centre on the Home Office website.

If you are in the UK and are eligible to apply in country please contact the Student Immigration Team if you need any help with your application. The team run regular workshops to help you complete the on-line application.

Before you attend your appointment check you have scanned and uploaded all relevant documents for your visa application.

Applicants who reside in certain listed countries and want to come to the UK for more than six months require a certificate to show that they are free from infectious pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). The list of countries is subject to change.

You do not need to apply for a TB certificate if;

• you have lived for at least six months in a country where TB screening is not required by the UK,
  and
• you have not been away from that country for more than six months.

You must get the TB test done at a Home Office approved clinic. The TB test is a chest x-ray.

If your TB test is clear, you will be given a certificate to confirm this. The certificate will be valid for six months. You must include the certificate with your visa application – failure to do so will result in your visa application being refused.

You should also carry the certificate in your hand luggage in case you need to show it to an immigration officer on arrival in the UK.

For further information about TB screening.

Whether you are applying from overseas or from the UK, credibility interviews are part of the Student visa application process.

The purpose of a credibility interview is to ascertain that a student’s intentions to study in the UK are genuine. During the interview you will also be expected to demonstrate that your English language ability is sufficient to follow your chosen course and level of study.

Please read our Credibility Interview Guide.

Once your visa is issued you should make sure that you check your visa is the right type of visa for you, and is of the correct length of time. You should report any errors to the Visa Application Centre (VAC) as it may not always be possible to correct any mistakes once you have left your country.

Passport vignette

If you are applying overseas for a visa longer than 6 months, you will be issued with a temporary permit in your passport called a vignette, which will allow you entry to the UK for 90 days only.

Check your entry permit carefully and if there are any mistakes you must contact the Visa Application Centre before you travel to the UK.

Decision letter

In addition to the temporary permit, you will also receive a decision letter confirming your visa application was successful.

Things to check

If you have applied for a Student Visa you will need to check the following:

• The visa stamp states you are a “Student,” not a “Visitor” or a “Student Child)”.
• No working prohibition.
• The Sponsor Licence Number (SLN) is correct. You can find this number on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). Sometimes the CAS number instead of the SLN will appear on vignette; this is OK as long as it is the correct CAS number.
• Start date – in most instances the earliest your visa will be able to start is one month before the start date of the course (as stated on your CAS). If your course is less than 6 months (excluding pre-sessional courses) then the earliest time your visa will start is 7 days before the start date of your course.
• Expiry/end date. If you are coming to study on a course for more than 6 months, then the vignette in your passport will be valid for 90 days only. Once you arrive in the UK you will then be able to collect your BRP card which should cover the full length of your programme of study. If your BRP expires on 31 December 2024 but your permission to stay in the UK, as stated on your UKVI decision letter, allows you to stay longer, this is not an error. You will not need a BRP from 1 January 2025, you’ll be able to prove your immigration status online. There are Home Office guidelines which determine how much permission a student should be given.

If these guidelines have not been followed then you will need to get your visa amended.

There is a time limit on how long you can study in the UK with a Student Visa. For courses under degree level e.g. foundation course, the limit is two years.

For courses at degree level or above the limit is five years (six years if you are studying a four year undergraduate sandwich programme or a four year undergraduate programme that leads to a Masters).

As part of your application to the University, the International Admissions team will ask you complete an Immigration History Questionnaire (IHQ). This is to enable us to check any previous Student Visa leave you may have had for other institutions, to ensure that you do not exceed your study limit.

The majority of visa applications are successful, but occasionally there are times when a visa application is refused.

If your visa application is refused, you must let the University know immediately, so that we can give you further advice on what to do next. You should send a copy of your visa refusal to the Compliance Team here at the University.

IMPORTANT: If you get a visa refusal, do not attempt to reapply for a new visa using the same Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). This is because you can only use a CAS number once. If you submit another Student Visa application with the same CAS number, that application will be refused. If you want to reapply for a visa then contact the University first, so we can offer advice.

Visa refusal outside of the UK

If your visa is refused outside of the UK, you will be sent a letter explaining why the Entry Clearance Officer has refused your visa.

The letter will also detail if and how you can submit an administrative review. There is a strict time limit in which to submit an administrative review.

Visa refusal from within the UK

If your visa has been refused from an application made in the UK, you will be sent a decision letter with your application which will explain why your visa has been refused and whether you have the right to request an administrative review.

Please contact the Student Immigration Team to discuss with an adviser. You should ensure that you alert an adviser as soon as you possibly can after the refusal as there is a strict time limit in which to submit an administrative review.

The Health Surcharge must be paid by anyone who applies to come to the UK to work, study or join family for more than 6 months.

It should also be paid by anyone already in the UK and wants to extend their leave.

Some people are exempt from paying the charge, for example students who enter the UK on a 6 month Standard Visitor Visa, however they will need to obtain private health insurance.

The actual amount you must pay is calculated on your entire period of permission to stay and not on the course dates given on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).

The IHS is £776 per year for students and their dependants. For all other categories, it is £1,035 per year.

Part years of six months or less will be charged differently depending where you apply from. You do not need to pay the surcharge if you are applying from outside the UK for 6 months or less. If you are applying from inside the UK, you will pay half the yearly cost.

If you have dependants applying at the same time as you then each dependant will also be charged the same amount as you.

You can calculate the cost of your surcharge by visiting the Home Office website.

You pay as part of the online visa application. At the end of the application, you will be given an IHS reference number. This reference number must be included in your visa application.

Even if you are exempt from paying the surcharge, you must still complete the IHS application as you need an IHS reference number to include in your visa application.

If you are required to pay the surcharge, then you must make payment or your visa application will be refused.

From 1 January 2022 EU and Swiss nationals can apply to get the money they paid for the IHS back. This is called an IHS reimbursement.

Please make sure you read all the Government guidance first before deciding whether to apply as reimbursement will affect how much free health care you can receive in the UK as well as your right to work.

For further details about the Immigration Health Surcharge, see the  Gov.UK web

During your visa application, you will be asked where you would like your BRP to be collected from. We recommend you choose to have it sent to the University, by using the Alternative Collection Location code (ACL) 2HE462 during you visa application.

Changing delivery location

Once you have completed your online visa application, you will not be able to change the delivery location from the University to the local Post Office, or from the local Post Office to the University.

If your BRP will be delivered to a Post Office, you may be able to arrange for it to be transferred to a Post Office branch closer to where you live, however the Post Office will charge you for this service.

If you applied for your visa from the UK, then your BRP will be sent to you by secure post.

If you applied for your visa overseas, you must collect your BRP within 10 days of your arrival in the UK. Follow our guidance on collecting your BRP from either the campus or Post Office. Your decision letter will confirm the date that the BRP should be available from, and if it was sent to a Post Office, it will confirm which Post Office. Our local Post Office with BRP collection facilities is in Hatfield. If you used our ACL, your card should arrive on campus around the time you travel to the UK.

What to take with you

When you collect your BRP from the University or the Post Office, you will need to show:

• Your original passport
• The immigration decision letter confirming your visa application was successful.

You may also be asked to confirm your UK address and phone number.

Under 18

If you are under 18, then someone must come with you when you collect your BRP.  This person must be:

• Your parent, who is also collecting a BRP at the same time; or
• Your legal guardian, who is also collecting a BRP at the same time; or
• A responsible adult. You must register your responsible adult first before you collect your BRP.

If you have asked for your BRP to be delivered to the University, then you can collect the BRP by yourself. You will not need to bring an adult with you.

Problems collecting your BRP

If there is a problem collecting your BRP, for example because you have lost your decision letter or you have been unable to collect your BRP within 10 days of arrival, you should contact the Home Office straight away.

Staff must have sight of your BRP when you register onto your course. If your BRP has been sent to a Post Office, please make sure you collect it before your registration appointment. If you do not have  your BRP available when you register you may not be able to start your studies.

Once you have collected your BRP, please check it carefully for any errors. If you think there is a mistake on your card you must report this within 10 days of receiving your card, otherwise you may be charged for a replacement.

These mistakes can be reported on line at the Home Office website or you can contact the Student Immigration Team who can help you get the mistake corrected.

Our BRP information leaflet gives you more information on what you should do once you have collected your BRP.

Example of a BRP:

If you have dependants accompanying you, they will also need to collect their own BRP. They can have their BRP delivered to the University. You must notify us if dependant BRPs will be delivered to the campus by using this form. You (as the main applicant) will need to be with your dependants for them to collect their BRP.