Visas &
immigration
Important: switching to an eVisa
Most UWL students with Student visas will have been issued a BRP (Biometric Residence Permit) that shows an expiry date of 31 December 2024, even though your visa decision letter will have confirmed that you have permission to study in the UK for a longer period to cover the entirety of your course at UWL.
Students with BRPs can now set up an online UKVI account in order to access an eVisa which will show your immigration permission digitally, and the aim is for all BRPs to be replaced with eVisas by the start of 2025. Once you have created your UKVI account you will be able to sign in to the view and prove service to access your eVisa and generate a Share Code so that the university can check your immigration status. You must select the option to prove your immigration status (do not use the right to work or right to rent options) and send the Share Code to the university Compliance Team via the email int.compliance@uwl.ac.uk.
- Find out more about UKVI and its roll-out of eVisas at the Government online immigration status (eVisa) website.
- UKCISA also has student-friendly information available via the UKCISA eVisas website.
During your studies
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Collecting your BRP
When completing your visa application, you will be required to complete a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) section.
Select the Alternative Collection Screen and enter the following ACL CODE 3HE282.
Your BRP card will be delivered to the university. You can collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card from the University during your in-person Enrolment.
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Lost passports and Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs)
Whenever you are in unfamiliar surroundings take particular care of your belongings including your passport and Biometric Residence Permit. There is no requirement for you to carry your BRP and passport around with you, so often it is safer to leave these important documents at home and carry another form of photo ID such as the International Student Identity Card, or Yoti Citizencard; you can always have digital copies of these documents on your phone if you need to refer to them. BRPs can get lost or stolen.
- If you’re in the UK, please report it as lost or stolen then apply for a replacement.
- If you’re outside the UK, please report your lost or stolen BRP outside of the UK. You’ll need to apply for replacement BRP visa to re-enter the UK. Once you’re back in the UK, you can then apply for the replacement BRP.
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Interruption / withdrawal
If you wish to defer temporarily (i.e. take a break from your studies) or withdraw permanently, please contact your school administrator for more information.
Once the decision has been finalised, your student visa will be curtailed accordingly once UWL’s Compliance team has notified the Home Office of your interruption or withdrawal. The Home Office will issue you with the curtailment letter, normally by email, notifying you of the expiry date of the 60 days period for you to leave the UK.
When you are ready to return to your studies from the interruption, you will need to request a new CAS to make a new student visa application to continue your studies at UWL. Contacting your School Administrator is the best way to begin the process of requesting a new CAS.
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Academic engagement
As part of your student visa conditions, it is vital that you engage with your studies and attend all scheduled online or on-campus classes. The University is required to monitor the attendance of sponsored students and inform the UKVI if the student has stopped engaging and withdraw sponsorship. The policy is set out in the Attendance and Engagement Monitoring Policy.
Please ensure that you inform the university if you will be absent during term time; you’ll need to seek an authorised absence and complete the authorised absence form for approval. If you have been absent for any unavoidable reason, you must provide a doctor’s letter, where possible.
You should contact your course leader or school administrator to inform them of any unavoidable absence or to request the authorised absence form.
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Visa Extension
If you require additional time to complete your studies, please get in touch with the Student Advice team about the requirements for extending your current Student leave. The Compliance team will decide whether you are eligible for a new CAS, and then Student Advice will be able to assist you with the process of extending your visa from within the UK.
Students must complete and submit a Visa Extension Form, which is available from the School Administration Centre, at least one month in advance of the visa expiry date, although students should be advised to apply as early as possible.
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Student Dependents
Students on full-time postgraduate research courses may be able to bring their dependants with them to the UK on a student dependent visa. According to the UK Immigration Rules, dependants are the following family members:
- your husband, wife or civil partner
- your unmarried partner
- your child under 18 years old – including if they were born in the UK during your stay
To check the eligibility and requirements for the student dependent visa, please visit the Government website and UKCISA website for further information.
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Visit visas for family and friends
If you want members of your family or friends to visit you, then they will need to apply for a standard visitor visa in advance of their travel to the UK if they’re a visa national.
Please note that we cannot provide a template of an invitation letter to support your family members’/ friends’ Standard Visitor Visa applications. You would need to write your own invitation letter to your family and friends inviting them to visit you and provide this to your family and friends along with your Student Status letter as a supporting document.
We suggest that the invitation letter includes the below information:
- Who you are inviting and your relationship to them
- The reason they are visiting the UK
- The proposed length of stay in the UK
- The accommodation arrangement made for your parents and whether you will be covering their expenses while they’re in the UK. If you are covering their expenses, you would also need to provide your bank statements in support of their visa applications to show that you can afford to host them.
In addition to your invitation letter, we would strongly recommend that you provide a Student Status letter confirming that you are currently enrolled on a course at UWL. Please contact the School Administration Office at studentletters@uwl.ac.uk to request the Student Status Letter.
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Travelling outside the UK (Schengen visas and travelling outside on your student route visa)
International students on a Student visa can travel in and out of the UK during the approved vacation periods. If you wish to travel within the Schengen area and required a Schengen visa, please refer to UKCISA’s dedicated guidance ‘Travel in Europe’ for detailed information about what documents you may need.
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Working in the UK
The condition attached on your visa regarding employment relates to the number of hours you can work and the type of occupation.
- You cannot work more than 20 hours during term-time
- You can work full-time during your vacations
- You cannot be self-employed (This includes gig economy work – for more details, visit UKCISA's blog on this topic)
- You cannot work for a company where you also hold a statutory role
- You cannot be employed in a full time in a permanent vacancy
- You cannot be employed as a doctor or dentist in training
- You cannot be employed as a professional sportsperson or entertainer.
Not complying with the above is an offence of illegal working under Immigration Act 1971 s 24B, as amended by the Immigration Act 2016
If you are found to be working in excess of these hours, the UKVI may cancel your leave, or refuse to grant you an extension of leave. If this happens, you could also experience problems with future applications for entry clearance to come to the UK.
You may be able to undertake a full-time work placement if it is an assessed part of your course. However, the work placement must meet certain requirements.
Please check the UKCISA website for up-to-date information regarding immigration rules and working hours, as this is regularly updated in line with policy changes.
If you need further advice and support, please contact the Student Money & Immigration Advice team by booking an appointment on the Student Hub, or emailing studentadvice@uwl.ac.uk.
After your studies
Graduate Visa
As of May 2024, we are pleased to confirm that the Graduate Visa remains in place for international students in the UK on a Student visa.
It is an unsponsored work route for those students who have successfully completed a degree or other relevant qualification from an approved UK Higher Education provider. Full information about it can be found on the government website and UKCISA website. You can also read the graduate caseworker guidance page to find out detailed criteria for the route.
You will need to apply from inside the UK before your current Student visa expires.
Once you have successfully completed your UK Bachelor’s degree, postgraduate degree or PhD degree (as stated on your original CAS), the university will send you an email confirming that the UWL Compliance team has advised the Home Office (UKVI) that you have successfully completed your course. We recommend that you wait for this confirmation email from the Compliance team before you apply for your Graduate Visa.
- Please note: you would need to have settled all UWL debt before the university will confirm your successful course completion to UKVI.
Graduate Visa FAQs
We have put together some answers to FAQs about the Graduate Visa for your reference:
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How do I apply?
You can apply for the Graduate Visa from inside the UK, using the online form on the government website.
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How much does it cost?
Visit the government website for the latest application and Immigration Health Surcharge fees.
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How long will the visa be valid for?
Undergraduate and postgraduate Masters students will be issued with a 2-year Graduate visa. PhD students will be issued with a 3-year visa.
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Do I need to be in the UK to apply for the Graduate Visa?
Yes. You must be in the UK to make this application and you must apply whist you still hold a valid Student visa.
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Do I need to have the Graduate Visa granted before my student visa expires?
No, you just need to have submitted the new visa application in the UK before your current visa expiry date. You will be protected by something known as Section 3C leave, which means that your Student visa conditions continue to apply to you until your Graduate Visa application has been decided.
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Can I travel out of the UK whist my Graduate Visa Application is pending?
No. You cannot leave the Common Travel Area (UK and Ireland) whilst a visa application is pending as it will void the application. You either need to travel and return to the UK before your current visa expires, and make your Graduate Visa application when you return, or you need to wait for the Graduate Visa application to be decided before travelling. You are permitted to leave the UK and re-enter on your current student visa at the end of your course as long as you don’t have another pending visa application.
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Can I work while my Graduate Visa application is pending?
Your Student visa permits you to work full-time following the completion of your course until it expires, and this includes the period while you are waiting for your Graduate visa to be granted.
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Where can I find detailed information about the Graduate Visa?
UKCISA (UK Council for International Student Affairs) has useful information on the graduate route (UKCISA website). You can also read the UK Home Office’s information on the graduate visa and their detailed information for caseworkers' graduate route guidance via the government website.
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How can my employer learn more about the Graduate Visa?
If international students encounter employers who are not familiar with the rules for working in the UK after studies, please refer the employer to the Recruiting International Students: An Employer Guide (pdf, 294KB) , which is a publication from the International Student Employability Group available on the UKCISA website.
Skilled worker route
Skilled worker visa is a sponsored route for you to work on an eligible job with an approved employer. Full details about who is eligible to switch to this visa category can be found via the Government website. More guidance can also be found on the UKCISA website.
Information for EU/EEA/Swiss students
Full information related to Studying in the UK: Guidance for EU can be found via the Government website.
EU/EEA/Swiss students who enter the UK from 1 January 2021 onwards will need to apply for a Student visa . In support of your visa application, UWL will issue you with a CAS that you need in order to complete the application process.
If you have entered the UK before 31 December 2020, you can study with us if you hold a pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. If eligible, you can still apply for EU settlement scheme after 30 June 2021.
Irish citizens are not required a visa to study in the UK according to the Common Travel Area guidance.
Introduction to the Student Advice Team
Student Advice Team
The Student Advice team has specialist international student advisers who provide free and confidential advice and support to prospective and current international students at UWL on visa and immigration-related matters.
Our advisers adhere to the current regulations of immigration advice and complies with the codes of standards published by the Office of the Immigration Service Commissioner.
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Contact us - appointment and drop-ins
To contact the Student Advice Team, you can email us on studentadvice@uwl.ac.uk. If you are fully enrolled with the university, you can book an appointment or attend our drop-in sessions. Our appointments are available in person as well as online via telephone or MS Teams. Please book an appointment on the Student Hub.