Your Visa

Student visa and graduate route information.

Applying for your Visa

Once you have obtained your CAS from the University of Chester you will be able to make your student visa application. You should make your visa application as early as possible. If making your visa application from overseas you must ensure that you allow enough time to apply, receive your visa and book travel to the UK by the start date stated on your CAS statement. If you are making your visa application from within the UK, you must submit your visa application to change your sponsorship over the University of Chester, before the start date of your course.

Students applying for a student visa to enter the UK will be assessed under a Points Based System, and must apply for a student visa. When applying for a visa you must show that:

  • You have evidence of sufficient funds to pass a maintenance test (currently £9,207 + unpaid tuition fees) and evidence that these funds have been held for at least 28 continuous days.
  • You have your original education and English Language supporting documents (i.e. certificates and transcripts) used in order to obtain an offer, as stated on your CAS letter.
  • You have been issued a CAS from the University of Chester. 

Before making your visa application you need to ensure that you have the correct documents and are fully prepared for the visa application process. The steps below provide information on what you need to check and prepare before and during the student visa application process:

 

Current Students: Extending your Leave to Remain

If you are a current University of Chester student and you wish to extend your current student visa this can be done under certain circumstances.

To apply for an extension of your current student visa you will first need to complete a Satisfactory Payment and Progression Form. If your visa extension is approved, you will need to read the CAS policy for continuing students  and complete the CAS request form document along with the other supporting documents outlined in the How to Apply - CAS Process section.

 

 

 

Visa Regulations

Information about studying and working in the UK

You must make sure that you do not breach the conditions of your student visa immigration status.

The University has published a Protect Your Visa guide for further information.

Remember you must:

  • Report to the University within 10 days of arrival in the UK. 
  • Make sure you do not work more hours than you are allowed to. Please see the UKCISA website for further details. 
  • Attend and check in for all your classes and lectures. You must not have any unauthorized absences.
  • Inform the University and International Centre if your contact details change (e.g. your email address, phone number or home address). 
  • You may need to inform the UKVI or Home Office of relevant changes; this can be done with the Notification of Change of Circumstances: Form MCC
  • Be aware that you are not allowed to access public funds. 
  • Make sure you inform the International Centre if your immigration status changes. 
  • Make sure you renew your visa if it is expiring and you are staying in the UK. 
  • Make sure you inform the International Centre if you decide to withdraw or suspend your studies. 

Attachments 

Protect Your Visa

Visa Outcome

What to do when you receive your visa decision.

Once you have submitted your student visa application you will be expected to keep the University of Chester updated with the outcome of your visa application. This can be done by updating your Visa Status on CAS Sheild.

The next steps you need to take will depend on the outcome of your visa application:

1. Your student visa application is successful.

If your visa application is successful, you will need to update your Visa Status on CAS Shield and upload a copy of your decision letter and vignette (sticker) in your passport directly to CAS Shield.  Once your travel plans have been confirmed, please update your Arrival Status on CAS Shield, and upload a copy of your travel itinerary. 

The Home Office have introduced a new process for some students who apply for student visas from outside the UK and who are coming to study for more than 6 months.  If you are part of this new process you will be issued with a vignette (sticker) which will be secured in your passport; this temporary visa will be valid for 90 days.  You must arrive in the UK before your temporary 90 day visa expires.  Failure to do so will mean you will not be able to enter the UK and you will be required to obtain a new CAS and make a new visa application.

Do read our Protect Your Visa guide for further information. 

Upon arriving in the UK, students must collect their BRP card, which will cover the full length of your course.  You will need to collect your BRP card from the allocated location outlined in the decision letter you received with your passport and temporary visa.  Failure to collect your BRP card within this time will result in your sponsorship being withdrawn and you having to leave the UK.

You will need your BRP card along with your passport to enrol at the University of Chester. For more information on the enrolment process please visit our enrolment page.

2. Your student visa application is refused.

If you receive a visa refusal, please update your Visa Status on CAS Shield immediately and upload a copy of your full visa refusal letter directly to CAS Shield. Upon receipt of the visa refusal letter, the University of Chester will review the reasons for refusal and confirm if we believe there are grounds for an Administrative Review (AR).  If we do not believe an AR should be submitted, we will inform you if the University is able to issue you with another CAS and if so, what documents need to be submitted for this to take place.

Please read the University Refund policy for further information. 

Visa Delays

If you are experiencing delays obtaining your student visa and you are concerned you are going to miss your course start date, or your course has already started, please contact the International Centre as soon as possible on applyinternational@chester.ac.uk. We will advise if any further extensions can be provided and if necessary provide you with supporting documents to confirm this.

Working in the UK

Information on working in the UK on a student visa.

Your digital visa or biometric card should indicate the hours you are allowed to work.

If you are enrolled on a full-time course that lasts for at least six months, and you have a Student visa, you are generally permitted to work up to twenty hours during term time, full-time during vacations.

You may also be able to work full-time after your official course end date (as stated on your CAS) if you have fully completed your programme by that point.

Careers and Employability may be able to help you to find part-time or voluntary work, and can assist you to use these experiences in developing your employability skills.

Further information about working during your studies can be obtained from the UKCISA website.

Working after your studies

In 2021, the UK Government launched the Graduate Immigration Route for international students. Those who have completed a degree at undergraduate level or above at a Higher Education Provider and have a valid student visa at time of application may be eligible.

This visa allows successful applicants to stay and work, or look for work, in the UK at any skill level for a maximum period of two years after graduation. Further information is available on our graduate visa route.

Another option to stay and work in the UK after studies is the Skilled Worker visa. This is a worker visa where an employer sponsors the individuals visa. Graduates can either switch straight from the Student visa to the Skilled Worker visa, or they may wish to go to the Graduate Visa first, and then after a time from the Graduate visa to the Skilled Worker visa once they find an employer to sponsor them. See the UKVI's Skilled Worker visa website for more information

It is only possible to have one graduate visa in your lifetime. And it is not possible to switch from a Skilled Worker visa to a graduate visa. So please consider your plans carefully, and discuss with an independent immigration adviser for further guidance.

Graduate Visa Route

Remaining in the UK after your studies. 

In July 2021 the UK Government launched the Graduate visa, relevant to those studying a degree whilst on a Student Visa or a Tier 4 visa.

This visa allows the University of Chester's Bachelor's and Master's degree graduates to remain in the UK and work for up to two years after completing their studies. PhD graduates can stay for up to three years. The application fee is £822 for applications submitted after the 4 October 2023.

A good starting point for those wishing to learn more about the Graduate route is this UK Government guidance page.

Who is eligible?

  • Students who have a valid Student visa or Tier 4 visa at the point their results go to an awards board, i.e. the date they are officially awarded their degree.
  • Students who have successfully completed their full degree. Certificates, diplomas and other non-degree qualifications may not qualify (except for the PGCE which is a qualification specific to teacher training in the UK).
  • Those who spent enough time studying inside the UK.
  • Those who have never had a graduate route visa before.

To be eligible for the Graduate visa, your student visa must still be valid at the date your degree is awarded. Awards boards only take place a few times per year, and happen usually around two months after your final submission/assessment/exam. If your course end date is delayed due to a deferral, a re-submission, or a resit exam, you may not go to an awards board until after your student visa expires, and so would not be eligible for the graduate visa. Please note, it is not possible to extend your student visa for the purposes of waiting for results, or due to deferrals or re-submissions. The only way to ensure eligibility for the Graduate route is to successfully complete your studies on time.

An eligible students must also have studied in the UK for a minimum period of the course for which they received their current student visa, as detailed in this table;

Total length of course

Relevant period of Student visa granted during which all study took place in the UK (apart from permitted study abroad programmes)

12 months or less

Full duration of course

Longer than 12 months

At least 12 months

When can I apply?

You can submit your Graduate visa application to the UKVI after the University of Chester has confirmed your degree at an awards board and has informed the UKVI of your succesful award. We will email you to confirm that we have made the report to UKVI and that you are now able to apply to the Graduate route. The email will come from studyvisa@chester.ac.uk to your University of Chester email account.

The deadline for submitting a graduate visa application is midnight on the last day of your student visa.

Do I need to be in the UK to apply?

Yes, applications must be submitted from inside the UK.

What can I do with the graduate visa?

The graduate visa is valid for any kind of work, including self-employed work. The only exception seems to be work as a professional sportsperson or coach, which is not permitted.

The graduate visa is not valid for the sort of study that you can do on a student visa. However it is valid for non-degree level study such as evening courses or vocational courses.
 

Further information on the graduate route can be found here: www.gov.uk/graduate-visa

Please note that due a UK government rule (sponsor guidance document 2 paragraph 7.9) means that University of Chester staff are unable to advise students on their graduate visa applications.

As soon as you receive your CAS, you must check it to ensure that all the information included is correct. If there are any mistakes on your CAS, you must contact the University of Chester International Centre immediately. Only once these mistakes have been corrected, can you proceed with making your visa application. Failure to inform us of any mistakes stated on your CAS may result in your visa application being refused.

In the evidence to obtain section of your CAS statement, we will outline the documents we have used to obtain your admission to the University. Any academic transcripts, certificates and English Language documents outlined in this section of your CAS must be included with your visa application. The documents you submit with your visa application must be originals. The use of photocopies, scanned documents, or print-outs from a website will result in a visa refusal.

To obtain your CAS, you provided us with financial documents to prove that you have sufficient money to obtain a student visa. The same documents must be submitted with your visa application. Again, please ensure that the documents you submit are originals, as the use of photocopies, scanned documents, or print-outs from a website will result in a visa refusal.

In addition, when submitting financial documents please ensure that the documents are dated within one month of the visa application date.

If you are a “low risk” national as stipulated by the UKVI, you will not be required to submit evidence of financials with your visa application. However, these documents can be requested by the UKVI at any point during the visa application process. We therefore advise you to prepare these documents in case they are requested at a later date.

The UKVI have introduced compulsory tuberculosis testing for some students. The list of countries where a TB screening certificate must be presented with a visa application has recently expanded. For a full list of countries please visit this UK Government page. The screening certificate must be issued by a medical practitioner from a medical clinic on the UKVI list. There is a cost for this screening and it is your responsibility to meet this cost. The certificate you provide with your visa application must be valid on the date you submit your visa application.

If an ATAS certificate is required for your course you must ensure that you submit the original certificate with your visa application. If you require an ATAS certificate this will be stated on both your offer letter and your CAS statement.

Students now coming to study a course 6 months or longer will need to pay an Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) at the time of application. Paying the IHS will enable you to access NHS services whilst in the UK. The details of how much the IHS payment is can be found in the Immigration Health Surcharge 2024 FAQS

The UK Home Office often interviews students in order to determine if your desire to study in the UK is genuine. The interview selection is random and does not mean something is wrong with your application, but it is something you should be prepared for. Students may be expected to attend two credibility interviews with the UKVI before a decision on your student visa application will be made. We have produced the following Credibility Interviews Guide to give you an idea of topics you should consider.

If you are coming to study a course for a period which exceeds six months you will only be issued with a 30-day vignette (entry clearance). You will then be required to collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) within 10 days of arriving in the UK.

To be able to collect your BRP card from the University of Chester you must enter the following Alternative Collection (ACL) code when making your student visa application:

The University of Chester ACL Code is: 2HE477