International

Visas and Immigration compliance

It’s important to understand your visa and what you can and can’t do whilst you study with us in the UK.

Understanding the conditions of your visa

From when your visa application is granted, to leaving the UK after your studies, you must abide by the conditions of your visa. This is sometimes referred to as ‘visa compliance’. Read through our guidance on understanding your visa conditions.

Keep your university record up-to-date

The University has to ensure that you have permission to study in the UK before you can enrol on your course. To prove that you are eligible to study, we need certain information for the duration of your studies:

A copy of your visa – including entry clearance vignette, Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) and evidence of your digital status (where applicable)
A copy of your passport
Contact details – this includes your home address as well as your UK term-time address, UK telephone number and personal email address
ATAS certificate (if applicable)

If you update your visa or passport, it is important that you take your new documents to Central Hub, 1^st Floor, Student Central. You will also need to notify the UKVI if you change your address or obtain a new passport by submitting the Migrant Change of Circumstances form.

It is your responsibility to keep your contact information up to date. If any of your details change during your stay in the UK, you can update them using MyHull Portal and notify UKVI by submitting an online form.

Maintain your study conditions

Your visa requires you to study full time at the University of Hull.
You should make sure that you attend all lectures, seminars, tutorials and group work projects.

As a Student Visa Sponsor, we are required to report the following to UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration):

If you do not enrol for your course. It is your responsibility to complete the enrolment each year of your programme of study.
If you do not engage with your studies. We monitor your attendance and engagement. We have to inform the UKVI of any student who is not attending and engaging at a satisfactory level.
If you take an agreed break from your studies (suspension of study). We withdraw student visa sponsorship when your request to study is approved and processed. You should make arrangements to leave the UK as soon as practical and keep evidence of when you left.

To resume your studies, you should email iect@hull.ac.uk.

In any of these cases, student visa sponsorship will be withdrawn. After we have notified them the UKVI will contact you about your visa and give you a date by which you must leave the UK.

Report changes during your studies to the relevant teams and authorities

Changing your programme of study

If you are thinking of changing to another course, please contact our team to discuss possible implications on your visa.

Withdrawing from your course or suspending studies

- If you are thinking of withdrawing from your course for whatever reason, please contact us.
- If you withdraw, you will need to provide us with a copy of your flight booking confirmation to confirm you are leaving (or have left) the UK.
- If you suspend your studies, you must still leave the UK as your Student visa sponsorship will be withdrawn. You will need to apply for a new Student visa when you are due to return to resume your course.

Resits and repeat years

If you need to resit an exam, or to repeat a full year of your course, you should contact us. If your visa does not cover the period of your resit period or repeat year, you will need to apply for a new visa.

Academic extensions

If you are a postgraduate taught student (level 7) or a postgraduate research student (level 8) and are unable to complete your course within the time period stated in the course regulations, you should request an academic extension.
Postgraduate taught students should complete this form and Postgraduate research students should contact the Doctoral College (doctoralcollege@hull.ac.uk). You will need to provide evidence to explain why you have been unable to complete your course in time.
If you are granted an extension but your visa is due to expire before you complete your studies, you should contact us via MyHull Portal to confirm whether we can continue to sponsor your student visa.

Working in the UK during your studies (in line with your conditions)

You can work a restricted number of hours while in the UK. This will be either 10 or 20 hours per week during term-time, depending on your course. Voluntary work, internships and work placements count towards your working hour limit.

"Week" means any 7-day period starting on a Monday, so if you work irregular hours and/or have more than one employer, you will need to keep detailed records of how many hours you work each day in order to ensure you do not exceed the limit.

Although you can work, remember that your student visa is for full-time study in the UK. Make sure that your work does not affect your studies or prevent you from attending teaching events.

During the University’s published holiday periods (Christmas and Easter), the restriction on the hours you can work does not apply, and you can work more than 20 hours per week during this period. Please check our key dates before you increase your working hours. If you are a postgraduate student (Masters or PhD), the summer break between exams and the new academic year is not a holiday period and you cannot increase your working hours. You cannot increase your working hours during your dissertation or thesis writing-up period.

Register with the Police

Some students may need to register with the police when they arrive in the UK. This will be stated on your entry clearance vignette or on your visa application approval letter/email. You must keep your police registration certificate up to date. Please check the back of your certificate for further information.

English language

For visa purposes you will need to meet the English language entry requirements for your chosen programme. We accept a range of English language qualifications and we offer pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet these requirements.