Study at Cardiff Met>Practical Information>BRP Information

Useful Information about your visa

​​​​​

​

​​​​What is an Entry Clearance Vignette? ​

If you successfully apply for a Tier 4 (General) student visa from outside of the UK, you will be issued with an entry clearance vignette or a sticker in your passport. If your course is longer than 6 months, your entry clearance vignette will not be valid for the entire duration of your course but it will permit you to enter the UK. Your entry clearance vignette will be valid for a period of 30 days so you must ensure that you travel to the UK within this 30 day period or by the 'valid until' date. When your passport is returned from UKVI, you will also be issued with a letter confirming that your visa application was successful. It is very important to bring this letter to the UK to show to the immigration officers on arrival at the airport. When you arrive in the UK, you will be able to collect your full visa (BRP) from either Cardiff Met or from a local Post Office (depending on the selection you made on your visa application form). ​

​If your course is less than 6 months in length, your entry clearance vignette will be valid for the entire duration of your course. 

W​hat is an 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.

What do I need my eVisa for?

Your eVisa, will allow you to prove your immigration status to Border Force, the University, landlords or an employer.

Creating, setting up and using a UKVI account

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

Travelling with an eVisa

How do I access my eVisa?

By signing into the ‘View and Prove’ service using a UKVI account. This service allows a person to:

  • View their eVisa
  • View and understand their rights
  • Update their details
  • Share their eVisa with others by generating a share code which provides time-limited access to the relevant data
  • A share code can be given to third parties enabling them to check the person’s status with

How do I prove my immigration status?

You can share your status information with third parties, such as employers, or landlords in England, by using the ‘View and Prove' service and generating a share code.

When generating a share code, you must select one of three reasons for sharing your immigration status: Students can use the View and Prove “other” option to generate a share-code to provide to an educational establishment.

If confirming your immigration status with an employer, you must select ‘prove your right to work in the UK.’

If confirming your immigration status with a landlord in England, you must select ‘prove your right to rent in England.’

What if I notice a mistake on my eVisa?

Report an error with your eVisa within 10 days of receiving your UKVI account details, via the following link Are you currently in the UK? – Report an error with your eVisa – GOV.UK​

How do I keep my personal details up to date in my UKVI account?​

If you have a UKVI account you can use the online service Update your UK Visas and Immigration account details: Overview - GOV.UK​​ online service.