Visa requirements for University of Roehampton students

Moving to London to study is exciting but there is a lot to organise before you set off.

When you have accepted an unconditional offer to study with us, it is time to consider visa requirements. If you are coming to study at Roehampton University, you may need one of the following:

  • Standard Visitor visa – for up to six months study
  • Student Route visa – for more than six months study
  • Pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

Visas

Standard Visitor visa Student Route visa Pre-settled or settled status

To apply for your Student visa, you can obtain assistance from one of our approved education representatives/agents.  A list of our approved education agents in each country is on the relevant country page on our website. Otherwise, you can apply yourself by carefully following guidance on the UKVI website. The information below is a brief guide to the Student Route visa application process.

For more detailed information, please visit UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) and the UK Home Office.

View more information

If you are eligible to extend your Student visa in order to continue studying, you must submit your application before the end date of your current immigration permission. Under UK immigration law, as long as you submit an in-time application your visa will automatically be extended whilst it is being considered by UKVI. This means you will not be illegally in the UK.

You need to request a CAS Application Form from the UKVI Compliance Team at the University of Roehampton at immigration@roehampton.ac.uk.

You can apply for a fee waiver if you're applying for permission to stay in the UK. This means you will not have to pay a visa application fee if you are eligible. Check if you can apply for a fee waiver.

It is not advisable to apply for a fee waiver to "buy time" or as a means of extending your student visa. As a student, you are not entitled to public funds.

Pre-settled or settled status

You don't need a visa to study in the UK if you have been granted pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

Arriving in the UK

When you arrive at a port of entry in the UK, your passport and entry clearance will be checked along with your documents, you will then have a date stamp placed in your passport. Your leave to enter the UK will begin from that date. It will expire on the 'valid until' date stated on your entry clearance.

The Border Force has developed ten top tips to make sure you have everything you need for a smooth arrival.

If you experience any difficulty with Border Force on entry to the UK you should ask the officer to telephone the UKVI Compliance Team on 0208 392 8146, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

We offer a free airport pick-up service from London Heathrow airport for international students who will be living in university accommodation. If you would like to find out more about this service, please check our Arrival and Orientation webpage. 

When you arrive in the UK, you must enrol on the course by the latest acceptance date listed on your CAS. If you hold a Student visa, you will not be registered until you attend an ID Check. 

The UKVI Compliance Team will email to invite you to an ID check session upon arrival at the University of Roehampton. When attending the ID Check session, you need to bring the following documents, as they will need to be verified and copied: 

  • Passport
  • Visa/ BRP Card - Your Student visa(s) will only be valid for you to study here if it sponsored by The University of Roehampton and it shows our Sponsor Licence number (F1H3G2RW3)
  • Qualifications listed on your CAS (including English language test certificates)

If you have a Student visa issued for studying at another institution, you will need to apply to the Home Office to change your visa before you can complete your registration at The University of Roehampton. We advise you do this well ahead of time. 

Circumstances in which the University will not permit a student to commence their studies: 

  • Where a student holds a Student visa sponsored by another institution and has not made a new Student visa application using a University of Roehampton CAS
  • Where a student has entered the UK as a tourist/visitor
  • Where a student has entered the UK as a student visitor in order to start a course that is longer than 6 months
  • Where a student has no evidence of their immigration status or valid permission to be in the UK

If you do not register within the specified enrolment period, we will report your non-enrolment to the UK Visas and Immigration. If a visa has been issued to you, this visa will be cancelled and the University will withdraw its sponsorship. 

There is a condition to register with the police if you are coming to the UK to study for more than six months and you are a national of one of the countries listed in the Appendix 2 of the Immigration rules. 

You must register within seven days of collecting your BRP by visiting the Overseas Visitors Records Office (OVRO). If you have, any dependant aged 16 or over, they will also need to register with the police.  Once you have registered, you always need to update the police within seven days if you ever: 

  • Change your address
  • Extend your Student visa leave
  • Change university
  • Renew your passport
  • Get married
  • If any other details on your Police Registration Certificate change

You can find out which changes should be reported, how soon to report them and who to report them to on the Reporting a Change in Circumstances or New Visa page on the OVRO website.