Visas and Immigration

Students will need a Student Visa entry clearance (visa) to enter the United Kingdom to study (except those on a course of study of six months or less who may qualify for entry under the category of standard visitor visa). If you have a different type of visa, it is important to check if study is permitted or contact immigrationregs@cardiffmet.ac.uk for advice.

We advise that you apply for your student visa as soon as possible. If you are applying from outside of the UK you can apply 6 months before the start date of your course, however if you are within the UK it is only possible to submit an application within 3 months of the start date of the course.  If your visa is not issued in time for the start of your course, you may not be permitted to enter the UK.

During the summer months (June- September) the application process in some countries can take up to 3 months or longer. The time required to process your visa will depend on the country where you are making your application. For information on visa processing times in your country please visit the Visa processing times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK.

A CAS (Certificate of Acceptance for Study) is a unique number allocated to each student visa applicant. The number will be sent to the applicant by the university and must be entered onto the visa application. UKVI will use this unique identifier to access full details about the applicant, their chosen institution and their course of study.

To receive your Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS) you will need to:

• Follow the instructions on how to create an account on CAS Shield which will be sent to you via email. Only students with unconditional offers will receive an invitation to join CAS Shield. This is an online self- service system which enables you to provide all the information required to receive your CAS. Your personal details on CAS Shield will be pre-populated with the information you have provided on your university application form. Please check the accuracy of this information to avoid complications with your visa application. Please note: you will be required to enter further details into CAS Shield when you arrive in the UK. It is therefore important that your own personal email address is used to register for a CAS Shield Account. Do not register with your agent’s email address.
• You will need to make a deposit payment towards your course fees (the amount will be confirmed in your offer letter) and upload evidence of the payment or official sponsorship/financial guarantee letter if applicable to CAS Shield.
• You will be asked to upload various documents to CAS Shield as part of the process. The information required will depend on your personal circumstances. Please do not send requested documents via email, they must be uploaded to CAS Shield for a CAS to be generated.

Financial supporting documents will be checked by your agent to confirm they meet the visa requirements, However, if you do not have an agent, the Immigration Compliance Team will check these documents once uploaded to CAS Shield.

• Once you have confirmed your information is accurate, paid the deposit and your supporting documents have been approved, the university will issue your CAS and the CAS will be sent to you via email. This can be done up to six months before the start date of your course.
• Please keep CAS Shield updated with the progress of your visa application and your arrival details.
• If you have queries about your CAS, use the chat function on CAS Shield as this will allow us to deal with your queries efficiently.

Your dependants (husband, wife, civil partner or children) can apply for immigration permission to join or remain with you in the UK only if:

• You are sponsored by your government and your course is over six months long; OR
• You are a full-time student studying a research based higher degree or a PhD course that lasts 9 months or longer. Students are not eligible to bring dependants to the UK if they are studying a taught undergraduate or postgraduate course.

Information on how to apply for a dependant visa from overseas, please visit the UK Visas and Immigration website​.

UKVI may ask you to attend an interview as part of the visa application process.

The purpose of these interviews is to understand an applicant’s motivation for choosing to study in the UK and to prevent abuse of the visa system. These interviews are usually conducted via Microsoft TEAMS and will be conducted by Visa Officers.

In accordance with the Immigration Rules, it may be necessary for you to obtain a medical certificate as evidence that you do not have infectious pulmonary tuberculosis prior to making an immigration application for travel to the UK. 

The necessity of obtaining this evidence will depend on where you will be making your visa application. It is important that you check if this rule will apply to you in advance of making your visa application as failure to provide it could result in an unsuccessful application. The full list of countries where TB Screening is required in advance of making a visa application for entry to the UK can be found on the UK Visas and Immigration website.

Please note, the rule relating to TB screening is dependent on the country where you make your application, not your nationality.

TB Screening is not necessary for visitors, including student visitors who intend to stay in the UK for 6 months or less.

Although you may have obtained a medical certificate prior to arriving in the UK, once starting university you may be called for further TB screening from the local National Health Service TB control service.

This screening involves a skin test to identify latent TB infection which has not been picked up by chest x-ray.

If Latent TB is diagnosed, following this test you will be given medication to cure this to prevent active TB illness developing in the future.

People with Latent TB do not have any symptoms and cannot pass it on to others.

The immigration health surcharge applies to all non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals who come to the UK to work or study or to join family and those who need to apply for a visa extension to extend their leave in the UK.

For more information regarding the immigration health surcharge please refer to Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application: Overview - GOV.UK

PLEASE NOTE: if you are applying for a 6 month Standard visitor visa to commence a course in the UK for 6 months or less, you will not be exempt from paying hospital fees and you will be charged a high rate for any hospital treatment you receive. You will therefore need to ensure you have obtained private health insurance from the beginning of your stay in the UK, to avoid having to pay these high hospital fees.

To find out how much you will be required to pay for the Immigration Health Surcharge, access the following information: Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application: How much you have to pay - GOV.UK​

You will be required to make an online application for a student visa by visiting the UK Visas and Immigration website: Student visa: Apply online - GOV.UK. You’ll need to have your fingerprints and photograph taken at a visa application centre in your home country as part of your application. You may be able to get your visa quicker depending on which country you are applying from. You can check this with your visa application centre.

If you require general advice about the student visa application process you can contact the UK Visas and Immigration: https://www.gov.uk/contact-ukvi-inside-outside-uk

If your visa application is successful, you will receive a short-term (travel) entry clearance visa in your passport which will be valid for 90 days along with a decision letter setting out the full length of leave which will be granted to you to complete your course at Cardiff Met. The short term (travel) entry clearance visa will enable you to travel to the UK. Evidence of the full visa you have been granted will be in the form of an eVisa (an online record of your immigration status).

Your visa outcome/decision email or letter will tell you how to create an account and get access to your eVisa.

An eVisa is an online record of your immigration status and the conditions of your permission to enter or stay in the UK. The e-visa will be accessible online via a UKVI account and shareable through a share code.

Please ensure you read the Get access to your online immigration status (eVisa) - GOV.UK.

To prove your immigration status to the university, employers, landlords and airlines, you will need to generate a share code from your eVisa account.

Full instructions on creating a UKVI account to access an eVisa are available at: www.gov.uk/evisa

It is essential that you take the time to prepare all the necessary documentation that will be required to allow you to make a strong visa application. The required documents are listed below although not all of them will be applicable to you:

• Passport(s)
• CAS Statement
• Personal Bank statements, parents' bank statements or bank loan letter confirming funds for tuition fees and living costs have been maintained for a consecutive 28-day period ending no more than 31 days before the date of application.
• Sponsorship letter (Only applicable if you are officially sponsored by a government or international organisation or company and they are agreeing to cover some or all of your tuition fees and living costs during your time studying in the UK).
• Education certificates (the relevant certificates will be listed on your CAS statement)
• ATAS certificate (Only if you have been advised by the university and if this is stated on your CAS as a requirement)
• Birth certificate (Only applicable if submitting parents' bank statements or as proof of name change)
• Letter from parents (Only if you are using your parents' bank statements. The letter should confirm that their money will be used for your fees and living costs).
• Marriage certificate (if your husband or wife is applying for a dependant visa)
• Translations (Any document that has not been written in English must be translated by an official translator and contain the translator’s qualifications, stamp, date and confirmation that the translation was based on the original document).

At present, you must show that you have maintained your tuition fees (minus any fees that you have already paid to the university) plus living costs of £1136 per calendar month of the course you are due to study, for up to a maximum of 9 months.

E.g. For students studying on a 12 month course, the Home Office will calculate living costs as £10,224 (£1136 x 9 months).

The total amount of money you will be required to show for tuition fees and living costs must be maintained in you/your parent(s) bank account for a consecutive 28 day period, ending no more than 31 days before the date of application. (Please note that this advice is only applicable to students who are due to study in an institution based outside London).

PLEASE NOTE: If your family member(s) will be submitting dependant applications, the amount of money each dependant will be required to show for living costs is £680 per calendar month (up to a maximum of 9 months).

E.g. For students studying on a 12 month course, the Home Office will calculate living costs for each of their dependants as £6120 (£680 x 9 months).

Your visa will be granted for the length of your course plus an additional:

• 7 days if your course is less than 6 months long
• 2 months if your course is more than 6 months but less than 12 months long
• 4 months if your course is more than 12 months long
• 1 month if you are studying a Pre-sessional course which is less than 6 months long

This is a certificate that some PhD and Masters students must apply for prior to making a visa application. You will be advised by the university if you require an ATAS certificate.

Further information about the ATAS Scheme.

If you obtain a Student visa to study at Cardiff Met, you will be able to work part-time during your studies for a maximum of 10 or 20 hours per week, depending on the type of course you are studying.

You will also be permitted to work full-time hours during official university vacations.

1. You must arrive in the UK and enrol on your nominated course before the prescribed enrolment deadline stated on your CAS statement.
2. You must provide the university with a copy of your passport information page/s, stamped entry clearance vignette and a sharecode by uploading it to CAS Shield, to allow your immigration status to be checked. This information will be stored securely in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018, and will be retained by the University until whichever is the earliest of:
   1. one year has passed from the date on which the University stopped sponsoring you (when you are no longer enrolled at the University); or
   2. the date on which a Home Office Compliance Officer has examined and approved them, if this is less than one year after the University ended sponsorship

Cardiff Metropolitan University will need to provide this information to the UK Immigration Authorities if requested.

1. Your attendance on your course will be monitored and attendance at all classes, tutorials and lectures is compulsory. On arrival, you will be advised on how your attendance will be monitored. It is important that you read The International Engagement Monitoring Procedure: Practical Information Attendance and Engagement Monitoring to ensure you understand what is expected of you as a student and you are aware of the serious implications of poor attendance and engagement.
2. You will be required to inform the University of your UK contact details (address and mobile number) and consistently keep these up to date with update with any changes.

Visa routes that permit work in the UK include the Graduate Route, Skilled Worker, Government Authorised Exchange and Global Talent. It is important that you meet the eligibility requirements of the visa route you wish to apply under before making an application. Requirements change on a regular basis, we therefore recommend that you access the UK Visas and Immigration Website for further details about  options available to you.

The Graduate route visa is a very popular choice and allows students who have successfully completed an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in the UK to apply for a visa which will permit them to live and work in the UK for 2 years after study. PhD students can apply to stay for 3 years. You do not require sponsorship from an employer to apply for this route, however the University must be aware that you are applying in order to provide UKVI with essential information about your studies to confirm your eligibility for the route.

Visitors are allowed to undertake the following types of study with this visa:

• Re-sit an exam or retake a module – if you are required to retake a module, the study time must be no longer than 6 months. If you need to complete re-sit exams and are successful and you want to proceed with further studies you will not be able to switch to a Student Visa from within the UK. 
• Take a viva exam – this must be part of a PhD studied at a UK University. 
• A short course or courses which must be completed within the dates of your visa. If this course is at a postgraduate level, you must obtain an ATAS certificate if required. 
• A period of Research – you must be enrolled at an overseas institution on a course which is at RQF level 6 or above and you must be completing the research at a UK Higher Education provider. An ATAS certificate must be provided if required. 
• Distance learning – if you are enrolled on a distance learning course with a UK University you can come to the UK for things such as induction week, face-to-face intensive learning, progress checks or to sit exams or assessments. 

You are not permitted to undertake any work whilst in the UK on a Standard Visitor Visa and you will not be able to extend your visa or switch to a Student Visa or most working routes.

It is important that you check that the information in your UKVI Account is accurate and up to date before you travel. Check your eVisa is correct before you travel - GOV.UK

If you discover an error with your eVisa or you have updates to make, this should be done as soon as possible to avoid encountering any difficulties Update your UK Visas and Immigration account details: Overview - GOV.UK

Visitors to the UK need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) if they do not need a visa for short stays of up to six months, or do not already have a UK immigration status.

More information about applying for an ETA can be found on Check if you can get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) - GOV.UK.

• Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) factsheet
• How to Apply For a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)
• Apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA)​