International Student Advice (ISA) Conditions of Service

ISA Conditions of Service

Our conditions of service outlines what you can expect from accessing our service and what we expect from you as a student at UEL.

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ISA Conditions of Service

Our conditions of service outlines what you can expect from accessing our service and what we expect from you as a student at UEL.

International Student Advice (ISA) Conditions of Service

The ISA service provides free and confidential advice and information on immigration related matters to prospective, current students and recent graduates. We provide this advice and information in good faith, based on the information that you give us about your situation. It is important you understand your visa responsibilities.

What do the International Student Advice (ISA) Service advise upon

The ISA service specialise in UK Student immigration and can help with a wide range of immigration-related matters, this includes:

  • Student visa eligibility; 
  • Student visa application process; 
  • Visa refusals and administrative reviews; 
  • Lost passports and Biometrics Residence Permits (BRPs);
  • Student visa error corrections;
  • Working during and after studies on a Student visa;
  • Dependant and visitor visas;
  • Visa implications due to change of circumstances (re-sits, change of course, withdrawals, break in studies, completing studies earlier than expected);
  • Travelling/ Schengen visas;
  • Student visa responsibilities  and
  • Post study visa options .

Who do we give advice to

  • We advise prospective students once you have been invited to CAS Shield.
  • Current UEL international students on a valid Student visa.
  • Recent UEL graduates on a Student visa for three months following award notification.
  • Current UEL students on a break in studies and considering returning to studies on a Student visa.
  • Current or prospective students on a Study Abroad programme.

Who regulates us

The provision of immigration advice is regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC). The OISC Code of standards sets the principles and standards by which immigration professionals must comply. Our service operates within these guidelines.

The ISA service are the only designated members of staff at UEL who are allowed to provide immigration advice under the OISC regulations.

UEL is a member of the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) and we operate in accordance with their Code of Ethics for those advising international students.

How to contact the Service

If you are a prospective student, please use the message feature in your CAS Shield portal.

If you are a current international student please use our intranet pages (requires intranet login).

Expectations

What you can expect from us

Provide you and any members of your family accompanying you with a free, confidential, and non-judgemental service.

Provide advice and information about your immigration status from experienced staff in accordance with the Code of Standards issued by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner and the UKCISA/AISA Code of Ethics.

Provide access to up-to-date information relating to the needs of international students and their families through our website, UEL intranet and other marketing materials.

Deliver workshops on a range of issues affecting international students.

To process your personal data in accordance with the data protection law.

To keep accurate records of the contact that we have with you including telephone, email, drop in and appointment advice.

Seek your views on how to meet your needs and how we might make improvements.

What we expect from you

Responsibility:

We expect you to seek advice at the earliest opportunity, particularly if problems arise and comply with the UK Immigration Rules and the conditions of your visa. We expect you to have read your student visa responsibilities.

Honesty:

Students are expected to be open and honest about their situation and immigration history. Failure to provide truthful information, or withholding information may impact the outcome of the advice given.

Respect:

We expect our students to show respect for all our staff and other service users and abide by the Student Code of Conduct as outlined in the Manual of General Regulations.

Limitations of our service

Responsibilities

We endeavour to ensure that our advice is accurate however, it is important to note that immigration rules and regulations are subject to change, often at short notice. We cannot guarantee UKVI outcomes, nor can we influence UKVI’s decisions. You are expected to familiarise yourself with the Immigration Rules.

Competency

Where your case or query is outside of our area of expertise, we will signpost you to a more specialist service provider. This could be a university service, or a service provided by an external organisation. We are unable to provide immigration advice and services to you if you are already being advised or represented by another agency (this includes solicitors, immigration advisers and/or lay advisers), as this could present a conflict of interest which may not be in your best interest.

Data Protection and confidentiality

The Data Protection Act 2018 is the UK's implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The ISA service operate in accordance with the 2018 Data Protection Act. This Act aims to ensure that personal information is used in a way that is fair to individuals and protects their rights. For further information see our Data Protection webpage.

All face to face and remote appointments are conducted in a dedicated private space and our emails are accessed by the International Student Advice and Compliance team only. Our telephone advice and drop-in service are for general information only.

The telephone adviser may be in an open plan office when answering the telephone lines.

We will not pass on personal information about you to anyone inside or outside UEL, subject to the following exceptions:

  • Where we have your explicit verbal or signed consent to disclose the information;
  • Where we believe you or others are in danger;
  • Where we are required to do so by law, for example, breaches in visa conditions may need to be reported to UKVI if required, in line with our Student Visa sponsor license responsibilities;
  • Where we are required to do so by law, i.e. to the Border Force, UKVI etc.

We would always encourage you to pass on the information yourself and would attempt to obtain your consent if possible.

University responsibilities

In accordance with Student visa sponsor licence requirements, the University must notify UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) if it becomes aware a student on a Student visa is breaching the conditions of their permission to stay in the UK. This includes working in breach of Student visa conditions.

External Immigration advice and information

UKCISA offers free confidential telephone advice on immigration matters.

You can find visa applications forms, policy guidance and obtain information about visa eligibility and immigration rules for all types of visas applied for inside and outside of the UK.

You can find an immigration specialist in your local area through this website.

OISC is an independent public body set up under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and is responsible for ensuring that all immigration advisers fulfil the requirements of good practice according to their Code of Standards.

Comments, suggestions, and complaints

We welcome your feedback and suggestions for how we might improve and develop the service we provide to our students.

We are happy to receive comments by email at: isa@uel.ac.uk

If you have a complaint regarding our service, please let us know by email at isa@uel.ac.uk in first instance and we will do our best to resolve it swiftly and informally.

If you are still unhappy, please see the University’s Student Complaint Procedure.