Useful information for International Students

All students should make every effort to arrive at the university on time to commence their studies on the start date of their course which is stated on their offer letter and CAS. The first week at university is one of the most important weeks because this is when you will find out what is expected of you as a student and what you can expect from the university. You will meet the academic team for your course, your fellow course-mates, undertake some preparatory work for your course and engage with all of the university services that you will need throughout your course. You can access your important Induction & Enrolment information here​​.

If there are circumstances beyond your control which means you are unable to arrive on time, you must email immigrationregs@cardiffmet.ac.uk to explain the reasons for your late arrival along with the date you are intending to travel. The team will contact your academic school to enquire if they would permit you to enrol late and provide you with further advice. Please note, there will be no guarantees that late enrolment will be approved.

It is important that you consider your accommodation options and understand the full costs associated with living in Cardiff. As attendance at ALL face to face classes is mandatory and is a requirement of your visa, it is important that you find somewhere to live that is in a commutable distance to your campus of study. The location of your accommodation will not be accepted as a valid reason for not attending your classes nor is it a reason to request online study. 

For information about accommodation options, please follow this link. 

IMPORTANT – This year, there is a very high demand for privately rented shared student accommodation and also for family accommodation in Cardiff and the surrounding areas. You should therefore be prepared to consider alternative accommodation options such as student halls of residence. Student halls of residence is not suitable for families, only for single students. 

We would also recommend that you do not travel to the UK with your family to start the search for suitable accommodation. Your family should only join you once you have secured a suitable home for them. Children will only be able to start school once they have a local address. We recommend that you start researching accommodation before travelling to Cardiff but you should only sign the contract/tenancy agreement after you have viewed the property in person.

Further information about finding accommodation in the privately rented sector can be found here.

Although the university has specific halls of residence accommodation, the majority of international students choose to live off-campus in privately rented accommodation. Some students choose to live with friends or relatives in order to save money on accommodation costs.

The university recommends that all students live within a one hour commute of Cardiff. If your accommodation is located outside of this area, please be aware that you could face many difficulties including:

• Expense – the cost of public transport, especially long distances, can be very expensive.
• Time – At peak travelling times in the morning and the evening, the UK’s road and rail networks can be very congested which will make your travelling time to university longer.
• Impact on studies – Long travelling times to the university will increase your chances of being late or missing your classes altogether. In addition, tiredness from travelling long distances will impact your ability to concentrate in your classes.

Please be aware that you will be studying a full-time course. Therefore, it is very possible that your classes will be taught every day between Monday and Friday – it is not possible for your timetable to be changed. As per the immigration obligations attached to your student visa, you will be expected the attend all of your classes on each of these days.

As required by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), the university will closely monitor your attendance and engagement on your course. Living too far away from Cardiff will not be an acceptable reason for not attending your classes. Continued poor attendance could result in the university withdrawing you from your course, this will be reported to UKVI and your student visa will be cancelled.

Useful links:

• UKCISA - international student advice and guidance - Looking for housing
• www.thetrainline.com
• www.cardiffbus.com

It is important that you make arrangements to pay your tuition fees on time. Failure to pay on time or to clear your balance by the deadline could result in sanctions and potential withdrawal from your course. This will also affect your visa.

For more information about paying your fees, follow this link.

We know that part-time work is important to many international students in supporting their studies and career aspirations. However, you cannot rely on the availability of part-time work to fund your life in the UK. You should ensure that you have sufficient funds to pay for your studies and your life in the UK before you arrive.

In the UK, there are a wide range of part-time job opportunities for international students. Once you have enrolled, Cardiff Met has a dedicated Careers Service who will be able to provide you with support as you seek part-time work in the UK.

Further information about working during your studies can be found here.

Yes, all students should bring a laptop with them to enable full engagement with their studies. 

There is a dedicated Cardiff Met helpdesk for students who have queries or issues with their IT equipment during their studies. They are always happy to help.

Life in the UK has returned to normal since the outbreak of the Covid-19 ​outbreak. In Wales, all domestic restrictions have been removed, alongside other parts of the UK.

If you catch Covid-19, you should avoid contact with other people. Although is no longer a legal requirement to self-isolate, it is strongly advised.

If you have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 in your home country, you are eligible to receive your vaccinations in the UK. You can find out further information here. 

There are currently no travel​ restrictions to the UK. You do not need to complete a UK passenger locator form before you travel, take any Covid-19 tests or quarantine when you arrive. This applies to both vaccinated and non-vaccinated people.

It is important to check the latest travel advice before travelling here in case of any changes. 

If you are not registered with a doctor in the UK, but you need medicine, you can purchase medication from a pharmacy such as Boots.  You can only register with a doctor (GP) once you have a UK address. When you have moved into your accommodation, you must register with a doctor’s surgery located near to your new home as soon as possible, do not wait to become unwell first. This is a list of surgeries in Cardiff. For information about registering, check the surgeries’ websites.

If you believe that you need medical help, you can call NHS Wales by dialling 111 on your mobile phone. You will be connected to a medical professional who can help and provide advice.

If there is an emergency situation, please call 999. You should only call this number if your life, or the life of someone else is in immediate danger.

The main symptoms of Covid-19 are:

• A high temperature
• A new continuous cough
• Loss or change of taste or smell

If you have any of the main symptoms of Covid-19, the Welsh Government advise you to stay at home and avoid contact with other people. Most people in Wales can no longer access free testing for Covid-19. If you wish to take a test, you can purchase a Lateral Flow Test from various retailers.

Further information can be found here.

You will be required to live in or close to Cardiff to allow you to attend all of your classes on a full time basis. Please note, distance learning/studying online only is NOT permitted. This is an immigration regulation. Your UK address must be within a commutable distance to your study campus to allow you to attend all classes each day.

In the UK it is no longer a legal requirement to wear a face covering, ultimately, the wearing of a face covering or mask is now a personal choice. In line with the government guidance, the wearing of face coverings on Cardiff Met’s campuses are also a personal choice for individuals. Please be respectful of other people’s choices, whether they choose to wear a face covering or not. 

You will need to bring a Mastercard or visa debit/credit card with you to the UK to use whilst you go through the process of opening a UK bank account.

To open a bank account, students MUST be enrolled and living in their long-term accommodation. It may not be possible to open a bank account if you are staying in a hotel or temporary accommodation. The banks will require a letter of introduction and this downloaded once you are enrolled.  

Once enrolled and have registered an address on the student system, you can download a bank letter here. 

It can take a number of weeks for students to open a bank account once they arrive in the UK. Therefore, it is vital that you have means to make essential purchases when you first arrive. Although you will need some cash available, for security reasons we recommend not to carry large amounts.

We strongly recommend that you contact your bank before you arrive to open an account that will provide you with credit or debit card that you can use abroad. Although this may not be a good solution for you long term, it will be very useful for you to use for a few weeks when you first arrive in the UK. You will find that many places in the UK, including Cardiff Met campuses, are cashless so you must have a credit or debit card available to make purchases. ​

• We recommend that you bring a laptop that is in full working order to allow you to fully engage with your studies.
• A Mastercard or Visa debit /credit card to ensure you can make essential purchases whist you are waiting to open a bank account. You will find that many shops in the UK no longer accept cash. Cardiff Met is also a cashless campus so it is essential that you have other means to make purchases, such as food, when you are at university.
• A mobile phone with international roaming switched on.
• Clothes for cold weather, although the weather in the UK will be mild in September, the temperature will quickly start to decline as winter approaches.
• Toiletries such as shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste etc.
• Adapters for your electrical items. In the UK, 13-amp sockets are used so you will require three-pronged plugs.
• Personal items such as books and other items to remind you of home, such as photographs or other personal mementos to help you settle in.

In order to save on luggage space, we recommend purchasing the following items once you have arrived in the UK:

• Kitchen equipment such as pots and pans.
• Bedding, towels and other soft furnishings.
• Textbooks, notepads, pens etc.

All these items can be easily purchased on arrival.

Do not worry if you forget any personal items, you will be able to purchase additional items, such as warm clothing, toiletries etc. easily when you arrive.

No. Although you might have a small number of online classes to attend, the majority of teaching will be delivered face to face. Your course is not an online course, attendance at all face-to-face sessions is compulsory and an essential requirement of both your course and immigration obligations as a student visa holder. 

Find a bus route using the Cardiff Bus website and go to ‘plan a journey’ and ‘routes and maps'.

You may wish to take a taxi which you can order online or via an app: 

• Uber
  
• Premier
  
• Dragon
  
  

There are a variety of opportunities available in some employment sectors, such as food retail stores and the care industry, but other sectors remain limited:

• Contact Cardiff Met’s Careers Service for advice and help with CVs
• Cardiff Met SU can also advise on CVs etc.
  
• Contact local food and retail outlets directly
• Search online for “part-time jobs in Cardiff”
• Or search engines/employment agencies such as Indeed or Total Jobs

If you have problems or questions about your course please contact your Course Director or Personal Tutor. Your school administrator may also be able to help

The Global Student Advisory Service offers a range of support including welfare, immigration and general academic advice (not course specific). To contact them: 

• Visit us at the Global Lounge on the Llandaff campus
  
• Email: intstudentadvice@cardiffmet.ac.uk 
• Tel: 029 2041 6494 
• Video appointment via Microsoft Teams: Use this link to book an appointment with a member of the team

For any other issues that may be affecting you, Student Services offer a range of services such as Wellbeing and Money advice

You can talk to your tutors for academic guidance and the International Academic Advice Service also provides Individual tutorials, Academic Writing Seminars and general advice: https://www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/international/currentstudents/international-academic-advice/Pages/default.aspx

To be able to enrol onto your course at Cardiff Metropolitan University you must provide the University with copies of your immigration documents.  Therefore, once you have arrived in the UK, please upload the required documents to CAS Shield, the system will tell you which documents you need to upload from the list below:

• Your entry clearance vignette (sticker in your passport which allowed you to enter the UK) with the entry stamp confirming the date of your entry to the UK.
• The letter from UKVI confirming where your BRP has been delivered.
• If you entered the UK through an E-Gate, or you did not receive an entry stamp in your passport, you will need to upload a copy of your boarding pass or flight ticket.
• If you have collected your BRP card (front and back)
  

Once the university has received and reviewed the documents you will be approved for enrolment and send an email to your personal email address with a link for you to complete the self-enrolment process. 

You will have received information from UK Visas & Immigration to confirm that your BRP has been issued and is either:

• At the Post Office

Or

• At Cardiff Metropolitan University

Please read the relevant section below to find out how you will receive your BRP.

BRP Collection from a Post Office

You will need to COLLECT your BRP from the Post Office. Once you have collected your BRP from the Post Office, please upload copies of the BRP card (Front and Back) to CAS Shield.

BRP card from Cardiff Metropolitan University

You will be able to collect your BRP card from the Llandaff Campus once you have arrived.

DEPENDANTS: If you have dependants and their BRP card can also be collected from the Llandaff campus. Your dependants do not need to be with you, but you will need to bring their passports, so the this can be checked and the BRP cards issued.

The UK government launched the new Graduate Route on 1st July 2021. From this time, students holding a valid Tier 4 or Student visa, who have successfully completed a degree at undergraduate level or above at a UK Higher Education Provider, will be able to remain in the UK and work, or look for work, for 2 years after they have completed their studies (or 3 years if they have completed a PhD). 

 In order to be eligible to apply for this immigration route, students are required to study the whole of their course in the UK, however there are concessions in place for students who have been studying remotely or from a distance since the Covid-19 pandemic began. 

Further information can be found here.