Giving visa advice
Please do not give visa advice to students, contact us.
Visa Centre Closures
Biometric enrolment centres in the UK currently have limited functionality: they have started to reopen to those customers who have already submitted applications. Please visit https://www.gov.uk/ukvcas for further information. If you are in the UK and need to submit a visa application because of changing sponsor or visa type, or because your current visa is about to expire, please contact Student Visa Advisers for further guidance. UK visa application centres overseas have started phased re-opening in some countries - please check the website of your nearest visa centre for further details using the links below:
- TLS Contact if you’re in Europe, Africa and parts of the Middle East
- VFS Global for all other countries
All international students must read the following important information:
- Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card
- Police registration - find out if you are required to register, how to register and when you will need to update your certificate
- Student visa essential information
- Working during your studies
Our Student Visa Advisers support students on matters related to their UK immigration status.
Advisers can offer guidance to prospective and current students. Advisers help students ensure they meet UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requirements and rules.
Read our Statement of service.
How we support our students
We provide information, support and advice on:
- Student visa
- Short-term study visa
- Working in the UK during your studies
- Working in the UK after your studies - Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur (GE) visa and Tier 4 Doctorate Extension Scheme (DES) visa
- Changes to your course and visa implications
- Standard Visitor visa
- Lost passport or BRP card
We do not advise on the following:
- Schengen visas - find out more about Schengen visas from the UK Council for Internal Student Affairs (UKCISA)
- UK equivalent scores - read the University of Bristol's advice on equivalent qualifications
- Fee status - read University of Bristol's advice on fee status
- Tier 2 - find out about Employment (Tier 2) from UKCISA
- Tier 5 - find out about Working after studies from UKCISA
- Visas for other countries
- UK citizenship, UK settlement or other types of UK residency
How we support staff
We support colleagues to ensure that we comply with our Tier 4 sponsor licence.
Global Lounge Events
Global Lounge celebrates various significant dates in the global calendar, such as Lunar New Year, Day of the Dead and Thanksgiving. All of these events are open to all students and staff across the University – and the majority of them are free to attend and include free refreshments and entertainment.
To view all upcoming events, please see the Global Lounge website.
Please see the International Students page for general advice and support.
Fraud and scams
We are aware that some international students have been specifically targeted by criminals pretending to be from a legitimate organisation (such as UKVI). They telephone students to demand money and claim that, if they are not paid quickly, there will be damaging consequences.
UKVI will never contact you by telephone to ask for money.
See the following for more information and advice about how to protect yourself: UKVI's Fraud, tricks and scams guidance, UKCISA's Frauds and scams page and UKVI Action Fraud Advice (PDF, 132kB).