Preparing to travel to the UK as a student

In order to qualify to travel to the UK as a student you must be able to show that:

• You have been accepted on a full-time course of study at the University of Southampton and
• You are able to pay for your course and support and accommodate yourself and any dependants without recourse to public funds and
• You intend to leave the UK when you have completed your studies.
• You should also have a current passport valid for a period of at least six months beyond the date on which you intend to travel to the UK. With effect from 14th January 2006 all non EU/EEA nationals wishing to stay in the UK for more than six months for any reason will require Entry Clearance before travelling. Persons without Entry Clearance will not be admitted to the UK.

Applying for a Visa/Entry Clearance

You must complete a visa application form VAF1 (non-settlement). You can obtain this free of charge from the nearest British mission in your country, or you can download it from the UK Visas website via the following hyperlink: http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/kfile/VAF1_2003_Eng,0.pdf

You should check the website www.ukvisas.gov.uk or with your nearest British Mission (Embassy, consulate or High Commission) to find out where to make your application, and how long this may take. Application times vary according to the country and the time of year, so apply as early as possible to ensure that your departure is not delayed. You may ask for the start date of your visa to be deferred for up to three months.

Cost

The cost of applying for a student visa or Entry Clearance as a student in your own country will be £99.00 from 01/04/07. This is payable in local currency. You should try to ensure that the offer letter you show the Entry Clearance Officer shows how long your course of studies will last. If you do not you may be given a visa/Entry Clearance for a shorter length of time and may have to apply for an extension of stay from within the UK. To do so will cost £295.00 from 01/04/07 if you apply by post and £500.00 if you have to apply in person, so it is well worth making sure you have sufficient documentation when you make your original application.

Previous Study

If you have previously studied in the UK, proof that you attended the course regularly and made good progress, such as a letter from your college or exam certificates. If English is not your first language, you should show English language test results (eg IELTS or TOEFL certificates).

Health (Tuberculosis) Screening

If you come from a country with a high incidence of TB (Tuberculosis), you may need to submit a certificate to show that you are free from this disease. At the time of going to press (January '07) such screening is already compulsory for those applying for Entry Clearance to the UK for more than six months in the following countries: Bangladesh, Sudan, Tanzania and Thailand, Ghana, Kenya and Pakistan, and is likely to become so in China, Ethiopia, Nigeria, The Phillippines, South Africa and Zimbabwe in the next few months.

Please check the UKVisas website at: www.ukvisas.gov.uk for more information, or if you are uncertain whether this information applies to you.

Biometric Data

UKVisas is in the process of introducing biometrics (10 fingerscans and a digital photograph) for all visa applicants by 2008. At the time of writing there is no additional charge for this procedure. Biometric data is currently collected from all visa applicants (irrespective of nationality) when they apply for a UK visa in the following countries:

Albania, Angola, Armenia, Belgium, Bosnia, Burma, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, the Gambia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Iran, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Mauritius, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Senegal, Seychelles, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Vietnam.

More information about the introduction of Biometric Data can be found on the UK visas website.

Important Points to Consider when Applying for Entry Clearance

• Be consistent in the spelling of your name on all documentation. Use the name/spelling that is in your passport.
• Be aware that official documentation in the UK specifies your date of birth as the exact date (day)/month/year, in this order.
• Apply for the correct type of Visa/Entry Clearance. You want the visa that will give you Student status. If you are a visa national, DO NOT travel to the UK with any other type of visa because you CANNOT CHANGE status to student from within the UK.
• If you are coming to the UK for a course of six months or less, and would like to work during your studies, you should make it clear to the Entry Clearance Officer that you are applying to come to the UK as a student, NOT as a visitor, and ask for a restriction, rather than a prohibition, on working. You should make it clear that you do not need to work for financial reasons, however you wish to do so to enhance your experience of life as student whilst you are here. Check your passport carefully once the visa has been issued to ensure you have been given the correct Entry Clearance.
• Visiting academics (also known as Academic Visitors) and Sponsored Researchers should take advice before applying as to which category of visa they require. Generally speaking, academic visitors are privately financed and come to the UK to carry out research for their own purposes, whereas sponsored researchers receive sponsorship or renumeration for the purposes of carrying out research. Academic Visitors are usually admitted to the UK for a maximum of 12 months. It is not usually permitted to extend this period, or to change immigration status from Academic Visitor to Student from within the UK. Sponsored Researchers will require a Work Permit before they can apply for a visa to come to the UK.

The immigration rules for sponsored researchers are complex and you are strongly advised to take advice if you think that these may apply to you

Bringing your Family to the UK

Husband or Wife

You can bring your spouse (husband or wife) to the UK as long as you can show that:

• You are legally married
• You have enough money to support yourselves financially throughout your studies
• You have ‘adequate' (suitable) accommodation for them
• Your spouse intends to leave the UK with you when you have completed your studies

Children

Your children can also accompany you if they:

• Are under 18 years of age when they enter the UK
• Will be financially supported by you
• You have ‘adequate' (suitable) accommodation for them and there are ‘adequate' arrangements for their care in the UK
• Intend to leave the UK with you when you have completed your studies.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO STATE WHEN YOU ARE APPLYING FOR ENTRY CLEARANCE TO THE UK THAT YOUR FAMILY IS PLANNING TO ACCOMPANY YOU DURING YOUR PERIOD OF STUDY

Police Registration

Who is required to register with the Police?

The Immigration Act requires some foreign nationals aged 16 or over to register with the Police. The following wording will appear on the visa in your passport if this applies to you. Students with this wording on their visa or stamped in their passport and any of their dependants who are aged 16 years or over will need the following when they register with the police:

• Passport
• 3 passport size photographs
• Registration fee of £34.00 sterling (fee level in January 2007)
• Offer letter from the University

If you are required to register with the Police, please contact the Student Union Advice and Information Centre (SUAIC) as soon as possible after your arrival in Southampton to arrange an appointment with the Police when they visit the Highfield Campus. Although registration should take place within 7 days of arriving in the UK, a short delay in registering with the Police is not a problem provided you have made an appointment through SUAIC to register. The Nationalities Department at Police Headquarters in Winchester set aside a minimum of four specific days to register students from the University of Southampton.

Failure to register with the Police within 3 months of arrival in the UK could result in you being arrested. If you fail to register at all when you are required to do you are committing a serious offence and you could be fined up to £5,000 or sent to prison. If you are in any doubt at all as to whether you are required to register and when you should do this, please contact the Students Union Advice and Information Centre for assistance.

Useful Contacts

Student Union Advice and Information Centre

Students Services Centre Building 37
University of Southampton
Tel: 023 8059 7588
Monday-Friday 9.00 -17.00hrs

Immigration Advisory Service (IAS)

www.iasuk.org
Emergency Helpline: 020 7251 8706

Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants

115 Old Street, London EC1V 9JR
www.jcwi.org.uk

UKCOSA

(The Council for International Education)

9-17 St Albans Place
London N1 0NX
Tel: 020 7107 9922
Monday-Friday 13.00-16.00hrs
www.ukcosa.org.uk

Immigration and Nationality Directorate (The Home Office)

Lunar House, 40 Wellesley Road
Croydon CR9 2BY
Tel: 0870 606 7766
www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk