UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) require St Mary’s University to perform study checks on all students who are not British, Irish, or a national from Channel Islands or Isle of Man.
Retaining evidence of study checks proves that each student has the right to study within the UK at St Mary’s University.
Depending on your visa type and the immigration permission that you hold, different immigration documents will need to be presented before, during and after you have enrolled on your course. All required documents will need to be assessed by the UKVI Compliance and Immigration team (UCIT) to ensure you can remain enrolled for the duration of your studies. You must keep all of your immigration documents in a safe and accessible location and UCIT must ensure that all necessary immigration documents are uploaded to your St Mary’s student record to meet UKVI regulations.
Arrival Information: Important tips
You are strongly advised not to enter the UK unless you have been granted the correct immigration permission. This is due to the complications and additional cost that can arise if you enter the UK too early.
Please do not enter the UK as a visitor if you have applied for a student visa and your visa has not yet been granted. If you need a student visa, you cannot enter the UK using your passport only as it is an incorrect route of entry. You are at risk of having to leave the UK if you enter as a visitor before your student visa has been granted. You will need to re-enter after your student leave has been granted to validate the new status. The immigration rules do not permit for you to enter the UK as a visitor and switch in to the student visa route inside the UK.
If you have waited for longer than 8 weeks and you have not received any confirmation from UKVI that a decision has been made on your application and believe that there is a delay with your decision, then please contact the visa office.
You can pay a higher visa application cost (if applicable) for a faster decision. This does not always guarantee a faster decision if there are any complications with your visa application or if there are visa processing delays.
Travel
Please do not book flights or train tickets until you have been granted the correct grant of immigration permission, as you may need to re-book your tickets if your visa is not granted in time.
Please check your visa details once granted as any errors with your visa will need to be reported to UKVI and amended accordingly.
Please ensure you complete any necessary quarantine (if applicable) before arriving at St Mary’s University. If you are staying on campus, you may be required to complete any necessary quarantine period before joining the St Mary’s community.
Nationals of: Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and the United States of America and EEA states and Switzerland can use the e-Gates to enter the UK.
Enrolment requirements
Please see below a breakdown of which documents are required depending on your visa type and immigration permission. You must be able to access all of your documents and have them saved in a suitable file to ensure your enrolment can be completed without interruption.
If you’re an EU/EEA national who used the UK Immigration: ID check app, you should have been granted a digital visa status. You will need to provide UCIT access to your digital visa status to be checked and uploaded to your St Mary’s University student record. When generating a share code, you should be given a list of options to choose from: ‘Right to Rent’, ‘Right to Work’ or ‘Something Else’. When generating a code to share with the university, please select the option for ‘Something Else’. You will then receive a share code from UKVI that you must send to UCIT at the earliest convenience: studentvisas@stmarys.ac.uk.
Your share code will expire after 30 days and you will need to request another if it expires. Please email your details with your date of birth and regnum (student registration number).
We are aware that some Norwegian nationals receive a physical copy of a vignette inside the passport and a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) instead of digital status. If there are questions or concerns, please contact: studentvisas@stmarys.ac.uk.
During enrolment you are required to present:
- Your passport (original).
- Your share code (email).
- The visa letter showing your grant of status from UKVI (This is usually emailed to you after your visa application has been processed Or as a paper copy).
- Your boarding pass or train ticket to prove your date of entry to the UK.
If you are applying for your visa from overseas, you will receive a vignette inside your passport titled “Entry Clearance”. This is valid for 3 months, which will give you plenty of time to arrive inside the UK before your course starts. You will be able to enter the UK up to one month before your course start date. Please ensure you enter the UK after the ‘vaild from’ date stated on your vignette and not before to ensure visa compliance.
On entry to the UK, your vignette should be date stamped by an entry clearance officer, please check the date stamp to ensure it’s the correct date.
You may be able to enter via an e-Gate according to your nationality. If you enter via an e-Gate, please retain your boarding pass as proof of your entry date to the UK. This date must be recorded against your student record.
You will be granted a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) and you can arrange to have it delivered either to St Mary’s or your local Post Office. We strongly recommend that you request for delivery of the BRP to St Mary’s as part of your visa application. These details are confirmed with you when your CAS number is emailed to you. UCIT will process the necessary visa checks and retain copies as part of your ID check when you visit the team to collect your BRP. If you choose to have your BRP delivered to your local Post Office, please ensure you complete any necessary quarantine (if applicable) before collecting your BRP. You must visit the Registry department with your BRP and your passport once collected from the Post Office.
During enrolment you are required to present:
- Your passport (original).
- Your vignette inside your passport.
- The visa letter showing your grant of status from UKVI (This is usually emailed to you after your visa application has been processed Or as a paper copy).
- Your BRP (if collected from the Post Office)*.
- Your boarding pass or train ticket to prove your date of entry to the UK.
*If your BRP has arrived at St Mary’s, UCIT will contact you to arrange a suitable time for collection. There can be delays with distribution at the Home Office and the delivery service are not always reliable. We will endeavour to contact you to collect your BRP as soon as it arrives with us.
If you plan on studying for one semester and wish to find employment or go on a work placement as part of your course, then you will require a student visa which will be presented in your passport as an ‘Entry Clearance’ vignette.
You will need to provide UCIT with your passport and vignette which should be date stamped on entry to the UK. If you entered via an e-Gate and your vignette is not stamped, please provide proof of the date you entered the UK, such as a boarding pass or ticket alongside your vignette.
During enrolment you are required to present:
- Your passport (original).
- Your vignette inside your passport.
- The visa letter showing your grant of status from UKVI (This is usually emailed to you after your visa application has been processed Or as a paper copy).
- Your boarding pass or train ticket to prove your date of entry to the UK
If you plan on studying in the UK for one semester and do not wish to find employment or complete a work placement as part of your course, then you will be able to arrive, study and stay in the UK for up to 6 months on a standard visitor visa. You must carry your offer letter from St Mary’s with you when you travel to show at the border if asked about the purpose of your travel.
Visa nationals
You will need to apply for a visa before travelling. UCIT will retain copies of your permission to enter the UK during the enrolment period. You will require a date stamp inside your passport on arrival to the UK. Please ensure your passport has been stamped with the correct date.
Some Non-visa nationals (including EU/EEA nationals)
You can enter the UK via the e-Gates. You will not receive a visa stamp, please keep hold of your arrival documents. (Boarding pass, tickets). You will automatically obtain 6 months permission to enter the UK as a ‘Standard Visitor’ and UCIT will request details of your arrival during the enrolment period.
Nationals of: Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and the United States of America and EEA states and Switzerland can use the e-Gates.
Other Non-visa nationals (not listed above)
You will require a stamp inside your passport on arrival to the UK. Please request a stamp at the border if you are not offered one and UCIT will retain copies of your immigration permission during the enrolment period.
During enrolment you are required to present:
- Your passport (original).
- The Entry Clearance visitor vignette inside your passport (if you are a visa national).
- The visa stamp page of your passport (if applicable).
- If your passport was not stamped because you entered the UK through an e-Gate, a copy of your boarding pass or transport ticket clearly showing the date you entered the UK is required.