Your Student visa responsibilities

If you need a Visa to study in the UK, you probably need to apply for a Student visa. This includes providing all requested information, documentation and fees correctly.

When you apply, you must declare if you have ever:

• had a visa refusal
• stayed in the UK beyond your visa expiry date
• had a national insurance number in the UK
• received healthcare in the UK and paid for treatment
• been removed from the UK
• had a criminal conviction (in any country).

If you might need to declare something, contact us before you apply so we can advise you. In some situations, we may be unable to provide you with Student visa sponsorship.

If you don’t declare, your visa application could be refused and you could be banned from entering the UK for up to 10 years.

After you apply, if your visa application is refused, withdrawn or unexpectedly delayed, you must tell us.

Once your visa is granted by the UKVI, you must check your visa for errors.

If your programme of study requires a Student visa and we think you would be successful in applying, we will:

• provide you with Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
• keep copies of the documents and records required as a student sponsor.

You must arrive in the UK and complete a student document check by the deadline we give you.

Find out about registration.

We must check and keep a copy of your:

• passport ID page
• UK eVisa and immigration status share code
• previous UK visas, applications or immigration documents (if required by us)
• ATAS certificate (if your programme requires one).

We will share this information with UKVI.

If your personal details change, you must tell the University and the UKVI by:

• updating your University record
• updating your eVisa account. 

This includes changes to your:

• passport (if you get a new passport you also need to send a copy to student-visas@bristol.ac.uk)
• UK address (when you move in the UK)
• personal email address
• phone number
• name

You must check that your personal details are accurate at the start of every teaching block.

If your trusted person’s details change you must update your University record. You don’t need to tell the Home Office.
 

We must keep records of your passport, UK Visa, name, UK address, telephone number and trusted person details.

You must:

• study the programme for which your Student visa was granted, unless a transfer has been approved
• attend your learning and teaching activities and record your attendance.

We must:

• monitor your attendance to check you are engaging with your studies as required for your Student visa
• suspend or cancel your studies if you do not attend or engage.

If you want to do additional supplementary study, such as an evening class or short course, it must not:

• affect your attendance, engagement or progress on your main programme
• be a full-time course.

Before you apply for additional study, you must contact us for advice.

We must report changes to your programme or sponsorship to UKVI where required.

You must continue studying your programme as stated on your CAS, unless we confirm you can change.

Before you can change your circumstances (e.g. course, location, study dates) you must:

• follow our website guidance for your change
• contact your school.

If you're unsure about something, get visa advice from us.

Your visa can be withdrawn if you:

• finish your programme early
• withdraw or are withdrawn from your programme
• suspend from your course for 60 days or more
• do not complete your course successfully
• complete your course with a lower award.

Getting a new visa

If a change of circumstances requires you to apply for a new visa, you must:

• contact us to request a new CAS
• meet the UKVI academic progression requirements
• meet the UKVI time limit requirements.

Requesting a CAS does not guarantee that we will issue one to you. We will only issue a CAS where we are able to and believe you meet the requirements of a Student visa.

Getting a new ATAS

Some changes of circumstances require you to apply for a new ATAS certificate within 28 days.

This includes if you:

• change your course or area of research
• extend your course by three months or more
• change supervisor
• move to a different University or institution.

We must:

• tell UKVI about your change in circumstances.
• tell you if this change will affect your immigration status.
• make sure you have a valid ATAS certificate if required for the programme you will be studying. If your certificate does not match your course requirements or your details are incorrect, we will contact you.

If your visa or immigration status changes, you must tell us and provide a new share code so we can confirm your status. This includes if you move to a different UK immigration route or extend your current visa.

You should keep copies of your immigration documents, such as your passport and UK Visa. If you lose your passport, you need to follow our lost passport guidance.

We must:

• check and keep copies of your current UK Visa and immigration status
• update our records when your visa or immigration status changes
• cancel Student visa sponsorship if you move to an immigration route that does not meet the requirements of a sponsorship.

If your visa allows you to work, you must follow the work conditions of your visa.

If you are unsure about whether you can do a job or placement, you must contact us.

We must tell UKVI if either:

• we believe you are not following the work conditions of your Student visa
• you take a placement as part of your course.

Before your Student visa expires, you must either:

• leave the UK 
  apply for a new UK Visa.

Staying in the UK after your visa expires is a criminal offence. It will affect your future visa applications.

If you want to stay in the UK, you must apply for new UK Visa. If you have successfully completed your programme and been awarded a degree, you may be eligible to apply for the Graduate Route Visa.

We must:

• Take appropriate action if your immigration permission has expired. This can mean suspending your student status if you do not have a UK Visa that allows for study.
• Tell the UKVI when you successfully complete your programme, which enables you to apply for the graduate route visa, if you are eligible.