Changes in your Circumstances & Visa Issues
During your studies at the University of East London (UEL), your circumstances may change which may impact on your studies and, consequently, your Tier 4 student visa. It is important that you follow the advice outlined below and contact our International Student Advice (ISA) team who can provide you with further detailed advice and support: isa@uel.ac.uk
1. Break from studies
2. Withdrawing from your course
3. Exclusion from studies for tuition fee debt
4. Completing your course earlier than expected
5. Visa refusal
6. Visa rejected as invalid
7. Changing course within UEL
8. Changing to part time
9. Attendance and contact with your school
1. Break from studies
The following information applies to all international students studying on a student visa including a Tier 4 student visa or on an old style student visa (applied for before 31/03/09).
If there is likely to be a significant break in your studies, you will be expected to leave the UK and apply for a new visa in order to return to the UK for the next available opportunity to resume your course. The break in your studies will be noted on your student record and UEL will be required to notify UK Border Agency (UKBA) of this change if you applied for your Tier 4 visa using a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), in line with our Tier 4 Highly Trusted licence responsibilities.
Please note, that as an international student on a student visa, a break from studies is only permitted in the following exceptional circumstances:
a) A personal situation means you are unable to continue your studies at this time
Before making any decision to take an exceptional break from studies, you must be aware that there are likely to be financial and immigration implications. For this reason, it is very important that you contact the International Students Advice team (ISA) first so that they can advise you of the implications for your situation: isa@uel.ac.uk
If you need to request a break from studies owing to personal reasons, this will need to be agreed and approved in advance by your School. You will need to give your School information about why you are requesting a break and provide verifiable evidence of the reasons, so that they can consider your request and support you appropriately.
Your School can only fully approve your break and update your UEL student record once you have provided them with evidence that you have left the UK. This would normally be the re-entry stamp in your passport when you return to your home country and a copy of your flight ticket sent by scanned email attachment to your School and to pbs@uel.ac.uk This is in accordance with the Tier 4 visa conditions because if you are not actively studying, you are required to leave the UK. You will need to apply for a new Tier 4 visa when you are ready to resume your studies at UEL.
The University is legally obliged to report any student who is in the UK on a Tier 4 visa issued under the CAS system and who takes a break or withdraws from studies to UKBA, in line with our responsibilities as a Tier 4 Highly Trusted Sponsor. You will need to request a new CAS and apply for a new Tier 4 visa from abroad, in order to return to your studies.
Normally, the University will require that you leave the UK as soon as possible and within 28 days of the beginning of the semester for which the break is being requested or from the point you have become aware of the personal circumstances that have caused you to request the break.
In addition, you will be required to obtain a new visa for study at UEL in the future and the International Compliance team will only be able to issue you with a CAS for this purpose if you have adhered to the above procedures and you fulfil our CAS requirements.
To request a new CAS, you will need to send evidence that you left the UK as required as outlined earlier in this section. The International Compliance team will also ask you to provide evidence of the maintenance (financial) documents required for your Tier 4 application. Once these have been checked as satisfactory, a CAS will be emailed to you.
Please be aware that you will not be issued with a CAS for future study at UEL if you remain in the UK whilst you are on a break. The University will also not allow you to re-enrol with a Tier 4 visa for another sponsor.
Please note: The time spent on study at degree level by Tier 4 (General) Students is limited to five years, with some exceptions. Click here for more information.
b) You are not required to study in the current semester due to summer re-sits or because you have been formally suspended from studies
- Re-sits/Re-take (forced break)
Students who need more time on their student visa to re-sit exams/ assignments or who need to re-take a module may be limited under the new Tier 4 (students) immigration rules. Before issuing you a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for your visa extension, the University is obliged to consider whether your attendance and academic progress is satisfactory and assess your continued ability to pass the course. This means that the University may decide that you can no longer be sponsored under a Tier 4 visa. If this is the case, we will discuss the options open to you, with the aim of helping you to complete your studies.
The Tier 4 rules for students stipulates that if you have failed a module(s) and you are not expected to study for more than 60 days (other than if this includes official vacation times) until the re-sit/re-take exams period, you will be expected to leave the UK and apply for a new visa in order to return to your studies.
Examples of a significant break in study are:
- No modules to attempt in Semester B but re-sits in August
- No modules to take in Semester A but modules to re-take in Semester B
This is regarded as a ‘forced break’ in studies and if you are placed on such a break for the reasons outlined above, you will be required to leave the UK as soon as possible and within 28 days of becoming aware of this situation. This would normally be the day you receive your module results through UEL Direct.
You will be required to provide evidence that you have left the UK. This would normally be the re-entry stamp in your passport when you return to your home country and a copy of your flight ticket sent by scanned email attachment to the UEL International Compliance team pbs@uel.ac.uk This is in accordance with your Tier 4 visa conditions because if you are not actively studying, you are required to leave the UK. You will then need to apply for a new Tier 4 visa using a new CAS when you are ready to resume your studies at UEL.
The University is legally obliged to report to UKBA any student who is in the UK on a Tier 4 visa issued under the CAS system and who is taking a break from studies, in line with our responsibilities as a Tier 4 Highly Trusted Sponsor. You will need to request a new CAS and apply for a new Tier 4 visa from abroad, in order to return to your studies at UEL.
In addition, you will be required to obtain a new visa for study at UEL in the future and the International Compliance team will only be able to issue you with a CAS for this purpose if you have adhered to the above procedures and you fulfil our CAS requirements.
To request a new CAS, you will need to send evidence that you left the UK as required as outlined earlier in this section. The International Compliance team will also ask you to provide evidence of the maintenance (financial) documents required for your Tier 4 application. Once these have been checked as satisfactory, a CAS will be emailed to you.
Please be aware that you will not be issued with a CAS for future study at UEL if you remain in the UK whilst you are on a break. The University will also not allow you to re-enrol with a Tier 4 visa for another sponsor.
Please note: The time spent on study at degree level by Tier 4 (General) Students is limited to five years, with some exceptions. Click here for more information.
- Suspension
If you have been suspended from studies, for example, due to a breach of regulations, you will be required to leave to UK as soon as possible and within 28 days of receiving notification of this and provide evidence that you have done so. This would normally be the re-entry stamp in your passport when you return to your home country and a copy of your flight ticket sent by scanned email attachment to the UEL International Compliance team pbs@uel.ac.uk This is in accordance with the Tier 4 visa conditions because if you are not actively studying, you are required to leave the UK. You will then need to apply for a new Tier 4 visa using a new CAS when you are ready to resume your studies at UEL.
The University is legally obliged to report to UKBA any student who is in the UK on a Tier 4 visa issued under the CAS system and who is taking a break from studies, in line with our responsibilities as a Tier 4 Highly Trusted Sponsor. You will need to request a new CAS and apply for a new Tier 4 visa from abroad, in order to return to your studies at UEL. The International Compliance team will only be able to issue you with a CAS for this purpose if you have adhered to the above procedures and you fulfil our CAS requirements.
To request a new CAS, you will need to send evidence that you left the UK as required as outlined earlier in this section. The International Compliance team will also ask you to provide evidence of the maintenance (financial) documents required for your Tier 4 application. Once these have been checked as satisfactory, a CAS will be emailed to you.
Please be aware that you will not be issued with a CAS for future study at UEL if you remain in the UK whilst you are on a break. The University will also not allow you to re-enrol with a Tier 4 visa for another sponsor.
Please note: The time spent on study at degree level by Tier 4 (General) Students is limited to five years, with some exceptions. Click here for more information.
2. Withdrawing from your course
If you considering withdrawing from your course, you should speak to the academic staff in your School in the first instance about your reasons to see if this can be resolved. In addition, you should contact the ISA team so that they can advise you about any implications this could have on your student visa: isa@uel.ac.uk
If you do decide to withdraw from your course, you will need to follow the University’s withdrawal procedures. In addition to this, you should email pbs@uel.ac.uk outlining the reasons why you have decided to withdraw.
The University is required to report your withdrawal to UKBA in line with our responsibilities as a Tier 4 Highly Trusted Sponsor. We are required to provide UKBA with all relevant information so you will need to inform us if are planning to enrol at another institution or if you are planning to leave the UK.
If you are leaving the UK, we advise you to do so within 28 days of formally withdrawing from your course. We also ask that you provide us with evidence of this. This would normally be the re-entry stamp in your passport when you return to your home country and a copy of your flight ticket sent by scanned email attachment to: pbs@uel.ac.uk
3. Exclusion from studies for tuition fee debt
If you have been formally excluded from your studies at UEL due to a tuition fee debt, you will not be allowed to attend your course and the University will be required to report this to UKBA, in line with our responsibilities as a Tier 4 Highly Trusted Sponsor. UKBA takes this report to mean that we have stopped sponsoring you under Tier 4. Subsequently, the University will withdraw you from your course.
You are advised to leave the UK within 28 days of being excluded in order to remain compliant with your student visa.
If you wish to resume your studies at UEL in the future, you will have to re-apply for admission as a new applicant. As part of the international admission process, we consider a student’s previous study and immigration history in the UK. As such, you would be expected to demonstrate that you have remained compliant with your student visa during the time you were not studying with us. You would also be required to obtain a new student visa to return to your studies at UEL.
If you are having financial difficulties, you should consider requesting an exceptional break from studies although whether this is granted will depend on how much of the current semester you have studied to date.
4. Completing your course earlier than expected
Occasionally, some students may complete their course earlier than the end date stated on their CAS. In such cases, the University is required to report the new completion date to UKBA by updating your CAS. Depending on the amount of time left on your current visa, UKBA may curtail (cancel) your visa to 60 days and they will notify you of this in writing. We advise you to leave the UK after completing your studies or apply for a new visa if you qualify to do so.
5. Visa refusal
If your student visa has been refused, you must inform the International Compliance team immediately by emailing pbs@uel.ac.uk with a scanned copy of the refusal notice from UKBA as you are required to keep them updated about your visa situation. In addition, you should seek urgent advice from our ISA team who can advise you about the options available to you, including making an appeal: isa@uel.ac.uk You must act quickly as there are very short timeframes if you are hoping to make an appeal.
Please note that it is unlikely the University will be able to issue another CAS to support a new Tier 4 visa application if you are already in the UK. Depending on the reasons for the refusal, we may be able to support a new entry clearance Tier 4 application which would need to be made from overseas. We will discuss your individual circumstances with you and advise you accordingly.
6. Visa rejected as invalid
If your student visa application has been rejected as invalid, this means that your application has not been accepted and the reasons for this will be outlined in the letter that you receive from UKBA. You must notify the International Compliance team immediately by emailing pbs@uel.ac.uk with a scanned copy of your rejection letter from UKBA, as you are required to keep them updated about your visa situation. In addition, you should seek advice urgently from our ISA team who can advise you about the options available to you: isa@uel.ac.uk You must act quickly as there are very short timeframes for making a new Tier 4 application, if this is an option available to you.
7. Changing course within UEL
If you decide to change course within UEL, the University will notify the UK Border Agency.
If your new course is shorter than the previous course, you will also need to notify the UK Border Agency. The UK Border Agency may reduce the length of time on your student visa. The email to notify the UK Border Agency is migrantreporting@ukba.gsi.gov.uk
If your new course is longer than your previous course, you are likely to have to make an application for an extension of your student visa. You should do so as soon as possible and certainly before your current visa expires, in order to complete your new course.
8. Changing to part time
If you are in the UK on a student visa you should not be studying part time. Where possible you must remain full time. The only exception is where you need to re-sit a module and have no option but to go down to part time whilst re-sitting the exam/ module.
9. Attendance & contact with your school
You should aim to attend 100% and submit all your assignments and attend all exams on time, in order to give yourself the best chance of succeeding in your course. Failure to attend all scheduled classes, tutorials, meetings with tutors, dissertation meetings with supervisors and any other arranged sessions in line with UEL's Attendance Policy and/or failure to submit work/ attend exams, could result in withdrawal from modules and potentially your course at UEL.
Withdrawal from studies would be reported to UKBA in line with our responsibilities as a Tier 4 Highly Trusted Sponsor and would mean you having to leave the UK as outlined above under the section ‘withdrawing from your course’.
Tier 4 Sponsor Licence
Useful links
