Image
Frequently asked questions
Getting a visa can seem like a complex task, but there's nothing to fear. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about getting your visa, and helpful answers to make your application a little simpler.
Student Visa FAQs
All international students studying a full-time, on-campus course need a Student Route visa to study in the UK.
You'll also need this visa if you're on a part-time postgraduate course, but the following restrictions apply:
- No employment (including work placements)
- No dependants
If you have valid Settled or Pre-settled status as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen under the EU Settlement Scheme you will not require a Student Route visa. If you have a different visa which allows you to study in the UK, you may be exempt. If you are unsure, contact us to check.
If you are joining us for an Exchange or Study Abroad programme of 6 months or more you will also need a Student Route visa.
Yes we are. You should indicate this in the correct section when you make your visa application.
You can apply for your Student Route visa online.
You'll need a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) and the unique number it contains. The Compliance team will issue this once you've met all the academic and non-academic conditions of your offer.
More about Student Route visas
Your CAS will be sent to you automatically by email once you:
- Hold an unconditional firm offer with the University of Portsmouth
- Pay the required tuition fee deposit or provide evidence of financial sponsorship
- Complete the Student Route Eligibility Assessment via CAS Shield
If your course requires Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) clearance, you must also email this to [email protected] before we can issue your CAS.
The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) clearance is an extra check made by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on students studying courses in certain Science and Technology subject areas.
If your course requires ATAS clearance, we'll send you information on how to apply with your offer.
The Student Route Eligibility Assessment via CAS Shield assesses your immigration history. This information is important as it can affect your visa application.
Without a completed Student Visa Eligibility Assessment, we can't issue you with a CAS as we won't be able to make the necessary checks on your immigration status.
The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) was introduced by the UK Government to help cover any medical needs you might have while you are here in the UK. You will need to pay this if you are studying in the UK for more than six months, or if you are already in the UK and apply to extend your stay.
The charge is £776 per student and per dependent (if relevant) per year of the visa issued, payable at the time of visa application.
If you do not pay the surcharge if it is required, your visa application will be refused or treated as invalid and rejected.
EU and Swiss students may be eligible for a reimbursement of the IHS fee.
Yes, you'll need a new visa because a Student Route visa is only valid for study at the institution that's named on the visa.
When you arrive for Registration, we'll ask you to provide ID and your University of Portsmouth visa, or proof that you have submitted an application for a University of Portsmouth visa.
Please email [email protected] for help applying for a new Student Route visa.
If you're already in the UK and hold a student visa for a different institution you'll still need to apply for a new Student Route visa.
You won't be able to register on to your new course until you have applied for a new visa.
Please email [email protected] for help applying for a new Student Route visa.
You may be allowed to study if you have another visa type, since some allow for study as well.
Send us a scanned copy of your visa to [email protected] to check whether your current visa is eligible for study at the University of Portsmouth.
You cannot switch to the Student Route visa in the UK if you have entered as a tourist Standard Visitor. You must apply in your home country.
No, you must wait until your visa has been issued to you before you travel to the UK.
You cannot enrol with the University if you have entered the UK as Standard Visitor when you require a Student Route visa.
You need to make a visa application before your current visa expires.
If you do not do this you will be an overstayer and your visa will be refused.
You can apply from up to 3 months before your current visa expires.
You can find supporting information about student visas from:
Please send a scanned copy of the visa refusal document to [email protected].
We will advise you on the next steps and refer you to the Student Visa team for support.
You can add a work or study placement to your course if it is an integrated and assessed part of your course and you have enough time to complete your course under the study cap.
You will be able to extend your visa in the UK if you are adding your placement to your current course. If you need to change course to add a placement then you will need to return home to apply for your new visa.
Please contact the International Student Advice team for further information.
Course related questions
Yes, you can defer your studies but you will need to apply for a new visa to cover that course and you will need to make the visa application for the deferred course back in your home country.
You will need to inform the Global Admissions team if you wish to defer.
First you will need to contact your current Course Leader, and also the Course Leader of the course you want to change to. Both course leaders must agree that the transfer is the right move academically and that you can transfer to the new course at that time.
Your visa conditions may not allow you to make the change you request.
To find out whether your change of course is allowed for your Student Visa, email [email protected]
You must seek guidance on your visa conditions from the International Student Advice team, email [email protected]
Depending on your change of course request, you may be required to leave the UK to make a new visa application before you can start the course and you may need to suspend your studies to do this.
If you are thinking about suspending your studies, you should discuss this with your personal academic tutor, Course Leader or another member of faculty staff as soon as possible. Getting advice and support is important. You must seek advice from the International Student Advice team.
If your suspension is approved, you will need to leave the UK and return to your home country whilst you are on your study break.
The University will report your suspension of studies to UKVI and UKVI will cancel your visa.
Before you return to study, you will need to request a new CAS and make a new visa application outside the UK to return from your study break.
Withdrawal may be the first option you think about when facing difficulties with your studies. There are other options that the University may be able to help you with to overcome such difficulties without the need for you to leave.
You could also ask about suspending your studies or transferring to another course. If you are considering leaving the University, contact your personal academic tutor, Course Leader or another member of faculty staff to discuss your options. You should also seek advice about how this will affect you from the International Student Advice team by contacting [email protected]
If you withdraw from your studies, you will need to leave the UK.
The University will report that you are no longer studying at the University to UKVI and they will cancel your visa.
Country specific questions
Guidance on support available to Ukrainian nationals and their family members is available on the gov.uk website.
Information for Ukrainian nationals in the UK is available on the gov.uk website.
The Hong Kong BN(O) visa became available on 31 January 2021.
This visa allows you to live, work and study in the UK.
You can apply for a BNO visa if you’re a British national (Overseas) and you are 18 or older.
Your permanent home must be in Hong Kong if you’re applying from outside the UK, or in the UK or Hong Kong if you’re applying in the UK.
You can find out more information about this visa on the gov.uk website.
Dependents
No, being born in the UK does not automatically make a baby a British citizen. Babies must have a parent with British citizenship or settled status in the UK in order to be born British.
You can have dependants with you in the UK if:
- You are sponsored by your Government and your course is full-time and at least six months; OR
- You are doing a postgraduate research level full-time course of 9 months or longer
If you are applying for a visa for a new course that starts on or after 1 January 2024, you can only have dependants in the UK if your course is a PhD or a research-based higher degree. Taught postgraduate courses will not be eligible. Please check with us if you are not sure about the type of course you will be studying.
- Your husband or wife
- Your civil partner
- Your unmarried partner (you need prove that you have been in a relationship similar to marriage or civil partnership for a period of at least two years before you make your immigration application)
- Your child (aged under 18)
Your relationship with your spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner must be genuine and subsisting.
Further information about dependants can be found on the UKCISA website.
If you are applying for a visa for a new course that starts on or after 1 January 2024, you can only have dependants in the UK if your course is a PhD or a research-based higher degree.
If you are planning to study a taught postgraduate course and are not sponsored by your government you will not be eligible. Please check with us if you are not sure about the type of course you will be studying.
If you need to apply for a new visa in your home country to continue your current course after an interruption, and are on a taught postgraduate course that started before 1 January 2024, please contact the International Student Advice team for further information.
Other questions
It is important that you keep your personal details up to date via your UKVI account.
The information you can update include:
- Passport or travel document
- Name
- Mobile number
- Email address
- Home address
- Postal address
You can also use the online account to correct your date of birth, change your nationality, add another passport or change your photo.
If you receive an unexpected email, telephone call or letter from someone who claims to be from UKVI (the Home Office), it may be a scam. They will never contact you to ask for money or your personal details. Please do not give details or money to people claiming to be UKVI (Home Office). Information about how to avoid scams and fraud and what to do if you think you have been contacted this way can be found on the UKVI website.
Enable University alerts
Turn on notifications for critical updates like closures, safety alerts, and urgent service disruptions.