Applying for a Student visa

Contents
1. What is a visa? ................................................................................................................... 2
2. Can Chevening apply for the visa for me? .................................................................... 2
3. Where should I make my visa application? ................................................................... 2
4. When should I apply for my visa?................................................................................... 2
5. How much does it cost to apply? ................................................................................... 2
6. What is the Immigration Health Surcharge, and do I have to pay? ........................... 3
7. How should I apply for my visa? ..................................................................................... 3
8. What happens if I have applied for the incorrect visa?............................................... 3
9. What is the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)? .................................... 3
10. What is a ‘low risk’ national? ........................................................................................... 4
11. What evidence should I include with my application? ................................................ 5
12. What are ‘criminal convictions’? ................................................................................... 10
13. What are ‘general grounds for refusal’ and ‘breach of immigration conditions’?. 10
14. I’ve made a mistake on my visa application, can I change it?.................................. 10
15. What biometric data do I have to give? ....................................................................... 11
16. Do I have to go for an interview as part of my application? ..................................... 11
17. Do I need to be tested for tuberculosis (TB)? ............................................................. 11
19. How long will my application take? ............................................................................. 12
20. What if my visa application is refused? ....................................................................... 12
21. How will my visa be issued? .......................................................................................... 13
22. How do I know if my visa is correct? ........................................................................... 14
23. How long will my Student visa be valid for? ............................................................... 14
25. What conditions will be attached to my immigration permission? ......................... 15
26. What duties does my university have in reporting immigration matters to the Home
Office? ........................................................................................................................................... 15
27. Further information......................................................................................................... 16
28. Glossary ............................................................................................................................ 17
 Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a visa?

A visa, also known as entry clearance when applying from outside the UK, gives
you permission to enter the UK. You will need to make an application for a
Student Visa and this guide covers this visa category.

2. Can Chevening apply for the visa for me?

You must apply for your own visa application. Neither Chevening staff nor staff
at the British Embassy or High Commission can apply on your behalf. We have
created extensive guidance to help you through the process.

3. Where should I make my visa application?

You must apply for a visa in the country where you normally live. As part of the
application process, you will be required to attend a visa appointment at your
local visa application centre.

4. When should I apply for my visa?

Before you apply, make sure that you have received your Chevening Final
Award Letter and your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
from your chosen university.

The date when you apply for your visa must be:

• Before you travel to the UK

• No more than six months before the start date of your course as indicated
on your CAS
• No later than six months after your CAS was issued

5. How much does it cost to apply?

As a Chevening Scholar there is no visa application fee. In the online visa

application form, you will be asked ‘Do you have a Marshall, Chevening or
Commonwealth Scholarship?’ You must select ‘yes’ to this question.

Selecting ‘yes’ will allow you to bypass the payment pages for both the visa
fee and the immigration health surcharge. You must also submit your
Chevening Scholarship Final Award Letter (FAL) with the supporting
documents as evidence of your scholarship and eligibility for the fee waiver
described above.

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 6. What is the Immigration Health Surcharge, and do I have to pay?

Anyone applying for a visa to come to the UK for more than 6 months is
required to pay the immigration health surcharge (IHS) at the point when they
submit their visa application. Paying the IHS means that you will have access
to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and allows you to access the NHS in
the same way that anyone else, ordinarily resident in the UK can. You can read
more about access to healthcare in the UK on our website. Please note the
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office pays the IHS on your
behalf (Please see the ‘Submitting your application’ tab, and as long as you
select ‘yes’ when asked if you have a Chevening scholarship, as described
in question 5, you will not be charged.

7. How should I apply for my visa?

You should apply for your visa online at the GOV.UK website. To ensure you
do it correctly, please follow our extensive step-by-step guide to making your
visa application which you can find on our visa guidance page.

8. What happens if I have applied for the incorrect visa?

If you have made a mistake and applied for the incorrect Student visa, you may
be able to withdraw your application and get a refund if you haven’t yet
attended your visa appointment. You can visit the Government’s website to
cancel your visa. If you have already attended your visa appointment, it isn’t
possible to withdraw your application or get a refund. We are also unable to
reimburse these costs.

9. What is the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)?

You must have a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) before making
your Student visa application. A CAS is an electronic document generated by
your university after you have met all the requirements and have accepted an
unconditional offer to study at that institution. You will need to liaise with your
university directly about this, we’re unable to get a CAS for you.

Your university will send you the unique reference number that corresponds to
your CAS. You must provide this reference number in the appropriate field on
the online visa application form. The Entry Clearance Officer who processes
your application will check this electronic document to verify that you have an
unconditional offer from that university for the course that you intend to study.

Your university should also send you the information that they have used to
generate your CAS. This is often referred to as a ‘CAS statement’ and it is

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normally sent to you by email. The CAS statement itself is not required for your
Student visa application because the original CAS is a live electronic document,
but it gives you all the information about your course and sponsor – which is
your university – and you need it to complete the visa application. If there are
any discrepancies between the information used by the university to generate
the CAS and your application form, then your visa application may be refused.
If there are any errors in the information on your CAS, you should notify the
university immediately.

The CAS statement should tell you:

• Your personal details as shown in your passport such as your name, date
and place of birth and passport number
• The 14 digit reference number for the CAS, containing a mixture of letters
and numbers
• The Sponsor Licence Number (SLN) of the university where you intend to
study
• The start and end dates of the course that you intend to study
• The title of the course that you intend to study and the course NQF/CEFR
level
• The tuition fees for the first year of the course, or the entire course if it will
last one year or less
• Any tuition fees that you have already paid to the university, if a separate
receipt has not been issued
• Any accommodation fees that you have already paid to the university if a
separate receipt has not been issued. A maximum of £1,334 of
accommodation costs paid to your university can be counted towards
evidence of maintenance funds if required in your visa application
• Any qualifications that the university has used to make you an offer to
study the course
• An assessment of your English language ability
• If you have previously studied in the UK with a Student visa or Tier 4 visa,
it will confirm that the new course demonstrates academic progression
from the previous course

You may obtain a CAS statement from several different universities. However,
you should only apply for your visa using the CAS sent to you by the university
where you intend to study, and it can only be used once. When your visa has
been granted, and you enter the UK, you must enrol at and study at this
university.

10. What is a ‘low risk’ national?

Nationals of some countries do not need to provide evidence of their

qualifications or their money when they apply for Student visa. UK Visas and

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Immigration (UKVI) calls this the ‘differentiation agreements’ for ‘low risk’
students.

You are a ‘low risk’ student if you are applying for a Student visa to study at a
higher education provider with a track record of compliance and:

• You are a national of Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium,

Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia,
Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, the Dominican Republic,
Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand,
Norway, Oman, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Singapore,
Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand,
Tunisia, United Arab Emirates or the USA, and you are applying for entry
clearance in the country where you are living.

• You hold a Hong Kong SAR passport, a British National (Overseas) a

Macau SAR passport and you are applying for entry clearance in the
country where you are living.

• You hold a Taiwan (ROC) passport with a residence card number, and you
are applying for entry clearance in Taiwan.

Even if you are a ‘low risk’ student, we recommend that you prepare all the
documentation and carry it with you when you attend your visa appointment
anyway. This is because UKVI reserves the right to request the documentation
at any point during the application process. If you cannot provide the
documentation when asked or if the dates prove that you did not have the
documents at the time you applied for the visa, your application may be
refused, and you could also face a ban from the UK on grounds of deception.
Even if you are a ‘low risk’ student we advise you to submit your Final Award
Letter (FAL) as this is evidence that you are a Chevening scholar and eligible
to have the visa fees waived.

11. What evidence should I include with my application?

a. Your passport

You must enclose a valid passport which must be valid for your intended date
of travel and have one full blank page for the visa.

If the validity period of your passport will not cover the duration of your course,
we strongly advise you to renew your passport in your home country as it can
be costly and complex to renew your passport in the UK.

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You should not use a diplomatic or government official passport to travel to
the UK because your Chevening scholarship is not considered to be an official
posting. If you plan to travel to the UK on a passport other than a civilian
passport please contact the welfare and immigration team
at [email protected] for further advice.

Note: You must submit your actual passport with your visa application, not
a copy.

b. Your finances

If you have a full scholarship, you will need to show that your scholarship covers
your course fees and living expenses while you are in the UK.

If you have a partial scholarship, you must also show that you have the
additional funds to cover your contribution. Please refer to our step-by-step
guide (page 55 onwards) for further information.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is what UKVI calls an

official financial sponsor, and if you are a fully-funded scholar, your Final Award
Letter is evidence of the funding you will receive for your course fees and living
costs.

Check that your Final Award Letter shows all the required information
including:

• Your name
• The name and contact details of the official financial sponsor (the British
embassy/high commission in your home country)
• The date of the letter
• The institution you will be studying at
• The length of the sponsorship
• Confirmation of the amount of funding that you will receive during your
scholarship

The letter should be on official letter-headed paper or stationery and must be

signed by the British embassy or high commission, this can be a digital
signature. You will likely receive your FAL by email from the Chevening Officer
at your local British embassy or high commission. We advise you to print a
copy for your records.

If you have received your FAL by email it may be password protected, please
ensure that you remove the password before you upload the document with
your visa application.

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You will need to upload your Final Award Letter with your visa application as
evidence of your funding. Even if you are a ‘low risk’ student you should make
sure you submit this letter with your visa application as evidence that you are
a Chevening Scholar and are eligible for a visa fee waiver.

If you have a part award scholarship of less than £9,207 for living costs (known
as your stipend) for the year (or less than £12,006 for the year if you are
studying in London) and/or if you need to contribute to your fees you will need
to show that you have the balance of the money available to you. You will be
considered to be studying in London if you’re studying at the University of
London, or if the majority of your study (more than 50% of your study time) is
at a site or sites situated wholly or partly within the Greater London Area. The
“Greater London Area” means the City of London and the 32 London boroughs.
If you are not sure if your institution is considered to be 'in London' you should
check with your university before you make your visa application.

The required funds must have been available to you for a period of at least 28
days and ending no longer that 31 days before you apply for your visa. You can
use funds from an overseas bank account, but this will be rejected by the Home
Office if:

(a) the decision maker is unable to make satisfactory verification checks;

or

(b) the financial institution is not regulated by the appropriate regulatory

body for the country in which that institution is operating; or

(c) the financial institution does not use electronic record keeping.

For further information is available on the gov.uk website about documents

used to evidence funds.

c. TB test certificate

You will need to submit a certificate from a UKVI approved clinic to confirm
that you are clear of Tuberculosis (TB) if you live in certain countries. Please
see 17 for more information.

Evidence you may need to include in your application

d. Your qualifications

You will not need to submit evidence of qualifications if you are sponsored by
a higher education provider (HEP) with a track record of compliance, or if you
are a low risk national. This will be the case for most scholars unless you are
attending JCA London Fashion Academy.

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If you have a CAS from JCA London Fashion Academy, which is a Student
Sponsor without a track record of compliance, you must submit the
qualifications that your university has listed on your CAS under ‘Evidence used
to obtain offer’. If this information is not listed in the CAS statement, ask your
university for details. You do not need to submit the originals of these
documents. If you submit any certificates or transcripts which are not in English
(or Welsh), you must also include a translation of each.

e. Assessment of your English language ability

Your English language ability will be assessed by the university as part of their
academic admissions process. Universities must follow specific guidelines from
UKVI when assessing your English language ability before they can issue you
with a CAS. In most cases the university must state in the CAS how they have
assessed your English language ability and the level of ability that you have
obtained in reading, writing, speaking and listening. If you have any questions
about the assessment of your English language, please contact your university.

You do not need to have an English language test if:

• You are the national of a majority English-speaking country. Majority

English-speaking countries are defined by UKVI as: Antigua and
Barbuda; Australia; The Bahamas; Barbados; Belize; the British Overseas
Territories; Canada; Dominica; Grenada; Guyana; Ireland; Jamaica; Malta,
New Zealand; St Kitts and Nevis; St Lucia; St Vincent and the Grenadines;
Trinidad and Tobago; the USA

• or if you have completed a qualification equivalent to a UK degree in one

of the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda; Australia; The Bahamas;
Barbados; Belize; the British Overseas Territories; Canada; Dominica;
Grenada; Guyana; Ireland; Jamaica; Malta; New Zealand; St Kitts and
Nevis; St Lucia; St Vincent and the Grenadines; Trinidad and Tobago; the
USA

• you proved your level of English in a previous visa application

If you do not fall into one of these categories, you may need to provide
evidence that you have a minimum level of English language ability. If you wish
to study a course at degree-level (NQF level 6 / SCQF level 9) or above, your
English language ability must be at CEFR level B2 or above, and your university
can choose how to assess this. There is more advice on the UKCISA website
(please see the ‘Evidence’ tab). You can also read more about this on the
gov.uk website.

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f. Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)

Ask your university whether you need an Academic Technology Approval

Scheme (ATAS) clearance certificate for your course. This is a certificate issued
by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which gives
you security clearance to study certain subject areas. These subject areas are
those where the knowledge gained may have application in the development
of weapons of mass destruction.

Your university must confirm in your CAS whether you require an ATAS
clearance certificate or not. The university should also tell you the CAH3 code
as you will need this when you apply.

If you need ATAS clearance, you must apply to the FCDO for your ATAS
clearance certificate before you submit your visa application.

For questions about your financial sponsor, once you are in receipt of your
Final Award Letter, you should write ‘Chevening Scholarship’ and provide the
details of the British Embassy/High Commission for the country which has
awarded you your scholarship and provide their address. You can use your
Programme Officer – UK’s email address if a sponsor email is required. If you
are waiting for your FAL or if your award hasn’t been confirmed yet, you can
write that a decision on a Chevening scholarship is pending.

You can apply for an ATAS certificate up to six months before the beginning
of your course, therefore we strongly recommend that you apply as soon as
you have received your offer of study. ATAS certificates usually take 20
working days to be processed but can take longer at busy times in the summer.
There is no fast track service so make sure you apply in good time. There is no
cost to apply for an ATAS certificate.

g. Translations

If your application includes any documents which are not in English or Welsh,
you must also include a translation of each document.

Each translation must contain:

• Confirmation from the translator/translation company that it is an

accurate translation of the original document
• The date of the translation
• The full name and signature of the translator, or of an authorised official of
the translation company
• The contact details of the translator or translation company

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 12. What are ‘criminal convictions’?

The application form requires you to state any criminal convictions, including
traffic offences, that you have obtained in any country, and to provide details
on the form. This is because the immigration rules include the provision to
refuse the application of someone with certain criminal convictions, under the
general grounds for refusal.

13. What are ‘general grounds for refusal’ and ‘breach of immigration
conditions’?

The immigration rules include provision for an application to be refused under

the ‘general grounds for refusal’. UKVI has detailed internal guidance on the
general grounds for refusing.

Entry clearance officers need to check applications for:

• Evidence of any adverse behaviour - using deception including false

representation, fraud, forgery, nondisclosure of material facts or failure to
cooperate

• Character, conduct or associations - criminal history, deportation order,

travel ban, exclusion, non-conducive to public good, national security

• Immigration history - breaching conditions, using deception in an

application

The immigration rules also include the provision to refuse an application by

someone who has an outstanding unpaid National Health Service debt of £500
or more.

Contact the welfare and immigration team at [email protected] for

advice if you have any questions about this, or you think that you may have
been in breach of your visa conditions on a previous visit.

14. I’ve made a mistake on my visa application, can I change it?

You can edit the information on the application form up until the section where
you complete the details relating to the Immigration Health Surcharge. If you
have completed this part of the online application you will not be able to make
further changes. If you have made an error on your application form and cannot
change it then please contact the Welfare and Immigration Team.

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 15. What biometric data do I have to give?

As part of the Student visa application, you are required to provide your
biometrics - your facial photograph and fingerprints. Your biometric data will
be taken when you attend the visa appointment.

16. Do I have to go for an interview as part of my application?

Possibly. The Home Office generally interviews most Students before granting
them immigration permission to come to the UK. You might be sent an email
asking you to attend an interview as part of the application process. You should
check your email (including the 'Junk' folder) regularly as your application is
likely to be refused if you are asked to attend an interview and you do not do
so without providing a reasonable explanation.

Interviews take place when you attend a visa application centre to give your
biometric information. In the short interview, you will be asked questions in
English about the course you will be doing and the university you will attend.
A report of the interview will be passed on to the entry clearance officer who
assesses your application. You may also be requested to attend a further
interview called a ‘credibility interview’, this is because UKVI wants to be
satisfied that you are a genuine and credible student. Some of the questions
may be similar to your Chevening interview, and you may be asked about the
following:

• Your chosen course and modules

• Your chosen university
• Your education history
• Your visa history
• Your financial circumstances
• Your post-study plans

17. Do I need to be tested for tuberculosis (TB)?

Scholars who are residents in certain countries are required to provide a

medical certificate confirming that they are clear of Tuberculosis (TB) for visa
purposes. You can check on GOV.UK to find out if you need to be tested for
TB. The gov.uk website has further information about the TB testing process.

TB testing results can take weeks or even months if the results are initially
inconclusive. The earliest you can apply for your TB certificate is six months
before you intend to travel to the UK. The test must be carried out at a UKVI
approved clinic. Details of approved clinics can be found on the individual
country pages of the GOV.UK website. If you’ve previously had TB, it’s likely
that the initial x-ray may show scarring on your lungs and you’ll need further
testing. You will need to upload your TB test as part of your visa application.

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 18. Can I bring my dependent family to the UK with me?
Due to high living costs in the UK, the Secretariat strongly recommends that
you do not bring your family to the UK with you.

If you do bring your family, you must have the personal financial means to do
so and understand that your family are not eligible to receive financial support
or advice from the Secretariat. Your living allowance, known as a stipend, does
not include any specific financial provision for family members. Additionally,
you may find it very difficult to secure accommodation for your family in the
UK. The Secretariat is also unable to provide immigration advice for your
dependant family members so please contact your university if you have
questions about visas for your family. You can also find further information
dependent visas on the UKCISA website.

19. How long will my application take?

Visa processing times vary across the globe, but the summertime is the busiest
time for applications. Once you submit your application and documents at the
visa application centre, it can take up to 3 - 4 weeks and sometimes longer for
your application to be processed. Please complete the survey link you received
from your programme officer when you received confirmation that your FAL
had been created to provide us with your visa appointment information. This
will allow us to flag your application with UKVI directly.

20. What if my visa application is refused?

If your application is refused, you should contact your university sending them
a copy of the refusal notice as a matter of urgency. Please also send a copy to
the welfare and immigration team.

There is no full right of appeal for visa applications made outside of the UK. If
you think the refusal was incorrect, based on the evidence you submitted with
your application, you can ask for an ‘Administrative Review’ of the decision to
refuse it. There is no fee for this, and you must request the Administrative
Review within 28 days of the date you receive your refusal notice. You cannot
produce any new or different documents for an Administrative Review. There
is further information in the Home Office guidance. Your university may also be
able to provide further advice.

You cannot submit a new entry clearance application at the same time as
requesting an Administrative Review of an earlier entry clearance application.
You can only use a CAS once. If your immigration application has been refused,
and you wish to submit a new application, you will need to find out if your
university will give you a new CAS.

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 21. How will my visa be issued?

Your visa will be issued as a vignette (sticker) in your passport and will be valid
for 90 days. The 90 days will start 30 days before the course start date on your
CAS or seven days before the date that you specified on your application as
your intended date of travel to the UK, whichever is later.

You can only travel to the UK on or after the ‘valid from date’ on your vignette
so please ensure that you understand when your visa starts before you book
your travel to the UK

You should also receive a decision letter from UKVI by email which specifies
the conditions attached to your visa and where to collect your Biometric
Residence Permit (BRP). If your visa is issued in a different format, then please
notify the Welfare and Immigration Team as soon as possible.

After you arrive in the UK you will have to collect your BRP within 10 days of
arrival, or before the end date of your vignette, whichever is later. You need to
pick up your BRP from a specified post office or from your university
depending on the information on the decision letter. I

A Biometric Residence Permit is an identity card, about the size of a credit card,
which contains your biometric information, as well as details about your
permission to be in the UK and when your visa will expire. This will then be your
new visa (example above) and you will need to carry it with you if you leave
and re-enter the UK at any time during your award.

Please note that your BRP may have an end date of 31 December 2024 even
though your permission to remain in the UK may extend beyond that until
January or February 2025. This is because the Home Office is phasing out BRPs
and from 1 January 2025 UKVI intends for immigration permission to be
evidenced via a digital status. You can read more about this on the gov.uk
website. UKVI will provide further information about this in early 2024. Please

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ensure that you have access to the email address you used to apply for your
visa as you may be contacted by UKVI directly.

22. How do I know if my visa is correct?

Once you receive your visa (the 90 day vignette), you need to make sure that
it includes all the correct information:

• Your name and date of birth

• That you have permission under the Student route
• The Sponsor Licence Number (SLN) of the university you intend to study
at
• The correct start and end dates of the visa
• Whether you can work
• For some students, the instruction to register with the police.
If there are any errors with your 90 day travel vignette, ask to have it changed
immediately before you travel to the UK. It can be more difficult to correct
errors on your immigration permission after you have travelled to the UK. You
can read more on the UKCISA website (please see the ‘When Your Visa is
Issued’ tab) to check if your visa is correct.

23. How long will my Student visa be valid for?

For a postgraduate course lasting at least 12 months, your visa will expire four
months after the end date of your course stated in your CAS. You cannot ask
for it to end later. If your course lasts more than six months but less than 12,
your visa will expire two months after your course end date. For example, if
your course is 12 months long and ends on 30 September 2024 then your visa
should expire on 30 January 2025.

24. What if I will arrive later than expected in the UK?

Your temporary 90-day vignette will only be valid for 90 days. If you can’t travel
within this 90 day window, you will need to apply for a replacement vignette,
further information about how to do that is on the UKCISA website (please see
the ‘When Your Visa is Issued’ tab).

Your university should tell you the last date that you will be allowed to enrol on
your course. This date might have been included in the CAS statement issued
to you. Make sure you contact your institution immediately if there will be a
problem in arriving in time for the start of your course. Do not travel to the UK
if you will not be able to arrive at your university before the last date of
enrolment.

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 25. What conditions will be attached to my immigration permission?

Your Student visa permission has some conditions. The restrictions applied to
each condition will be stated on your visa.

Study at your intended institution

You must enrol and study at the university that issued the CAS, and whose
Sponsor License Number is printed on your visa. If you change your mind
before travelling to the UK, and you wish to study at a different university, you
must make a new entry clearance application using a new CAS from your new
university.

‘No recourse to public funds’

Your immigration conditions prohibit you from accessing ‘public funds’, which
means certain welfare benefits and local authority housing. Using the National
Health Service, sending your child to a state school, being exempt from the
Council Tax, and paying ‘home’ fees for study do not count as accessing ‘public
funds’.

If you claim ‘public funds’, the UK immigration authorities can refuse your
immigration application or remove you from the UK. You may be banned from
returning to the UK for a certain period.

Working conditions

Most scholars will have the standard student work condition which is 20 hours
per week. There is lots of information on our website about this.

For more information about these conditions visit the UKCISA website.

26. What duties does my university have in reporting immigration

matters to the Home Office?

All Student Sponsors have specific sponsor duties. These duties are outlined in
The Student Sponsor Guidance. Your university must notify the Home Office if:

• You do not enrol on the course before the last day of the enrolment period
• You fail to attend a class or lecture, or fail to submit work for a specific
number of times, and your institution has not agreed to your absence or
non-submission of work
• You defer, postpone or take a break from your studies
• You change to a shorter course, or you complete your studies early
• You withdraw from your studies before you have finished your course

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 • Your visa is refused
• You significantly change your circumstances (e.g., your study location
changes or you change to a course which requires ATAS clearance or a
work placement)
• They have any reason to suspect that you are not compliant with your visa
conditions (e.g., if the university has reason to believe that you are working
more than the hours you are permitted to)

Your university will usually inform you in writing if they have made a report to
the Home Office, particularly where the report may result in your visa being
curtailed (cancelled). If you have any queries about reports submitted to the
Home Office, please speak with the international student adviser at your
university.

The Home Office may curtail your visa early if they are notified of one of these
issues. This means it is very important that, as far as possible, you attend all
your classes and lectures and submit coursework when it is due. If you have
problems doing this, you should let your tutor or student advisers know as soon
as possible.

It is very important that you notify your university if you are ill and cannot
attend or submit work, or if you have to miss your academic commitments for
any other reason. Your university may ask you to submit further evidence to
confirm the reason for your absence, for example a letter from your doctor. You
should also alert your Chevening Programme Officer UK.

If you decide to leave your course early, you must tell your university. Your
university will need to report this to the Home Office, and the Home Office may
curtail your visa to 60 days, unless you already have fewer than 60 days
remaining on your visa. You must leave the UK or make a new immigration
application within this time. The Home Office will send the curtailment letter to
your address, which will tell you when you must leave the UK. For this reason,
it is important to always ensure that the Home Office and your university have
your current address. The international student adviser at your university can
advise on how to submit a change of address.

27. Further information

Please make sure you read the guidance on our website, including the step-
by-step guide. If you still have questions, please email the welfare and
immigration team with copies of relevant documents.

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 28. Glossary

Glossary

90-day vignette After you have made a successful visa application you will get
a '90-day vignette’, which is a sticker in your passport, valid for
90 days to allow you to travel to the UK.

Alternative Collection Some universities have an ACL code and if you use this code
Location (ACL) in your online visa application you will be able to pick up your
BRP at your institution rather than at a local post office.

Academic Technology This is a certificate issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth and

Approval Scheme (ATAS) Development Office (FCDO), which gives you security
clearance to study certain subject areas. Your CAS will indicate
whether you need an ATAS certificate.

Biometric data You’ll be asked to provide your fingerprints and photo as part
of the visa process, and this is your biometric data.

Biometric Residence A credit card sized permit that contains your personal details,
Permit (BRP) including your biometric data and your permission to be in the
UK. This becomes your visa.

Confirmation of An electronic reference number provided by your university

Acceptance of Studies which you need for your visa application.
(CAS)

Entry clearance Also known as a visa when applying from outside the UK

Entry clearance officer A UKVI employee who reviews your visa application and
(ECO) makes a decision.

Final Award Letter (FAL) An official letter which confirms your scholarship and sets out
the financial arrangements of your award. You will receive this
from the British embassy or high commission in your country.

Foreign, Commonwealth The UK government department which funds Chevening

& Development Office Awards.
(FCDO)

Full Award If you’re in receipt of a full scholarship this means that your
tuition fees are paid and you receive a monthly allowance.
Please refer to your Final Award Letter for further details.

Higher Education This is the collective terminology for universities and other
Provider institutions that provide forms of higher education in England,
(HEP) used by the Office for Students.

Immigration Health A payment made at the time of your visa application allowing
Surcharge (IHS) you to access the UK's National Health Service (NHS). This is
paid for you by the Foreign, Commonwealth and
Development Office.

Part Award If you’re in receipt of a partial scholarship this means that you
may need to make a financial contribution towards your tuition
fees, and you may be required to support yourself financially
if you’re not in receipt of a stipend. Please refer to your Final
Award Letter for further details.

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 POUK Programme Officer UK – your point of contact during your
Chevening award.

Sponsor Your university is the sponsor of your Student visa. The

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is your
financial sponsor.

TLS contact One of the commercial partners of UKVI providing services to

people applying for visas for the UK. They often manage the
visa application centres but are not involved in any of the
decision making.

UKCISA UK Council for International Student Affairs is the UK’s national

advisory body serving the interests of international students.
It provides extensive online guidance for students coming to
the UK.

UKVI Part of the Home Office, the UK government department that

makes decisions about visa applications.
VFS One of the commercial partners of UKVI providing services to
people applying for visas for the UK. They often manage the
visa application centres but are not involved in any of the
decision making.

Visa A vignette in your passport giving you permission to enter the

UK, once you are in the UK and have collected your Biometric
Residence Permit, this becomes your visa.

Visa Application Centre Where you submit your visa application and documents in
(VAC) person and have your biometrics taken, often run by a
commercial partner.

DISCLAIMER: Whilst every effort is made to ensure this guide is up to date, UKVI changes visa rules
and regulations frequently. The information in this document is correct as of 07/06/2023.

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