Goldsmiths - University of London

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Studying in the UK

Visa information

All international students from outside the EEA (the European Economic Area) must obtain immigration permission to enter and study in the UK. Goldsmiths was granted a Sponsor Licence (AG868A1E7) in 2009, and was more recently upgraded to a Highly Trusted Sponsor. Further to sponsoring applications for the visa listed, Goldsmiths must comply with a number of requirements listed under Records Keeping and Reporting.

Do I need a visa?

Depending on your nationality you may need to apply for permission to come to the UK before you travel. We therefore recommend that you check your status and confirm what type of visa you might need to study online at the UKBA Visa Services Section or make an appointment with student-advice@gold.ac.uk.

Tier 4 (General) Student

 

You will need to apply for a Tier 4 (General) Visa if you are aged 17 or over and want to study in the UK to study for a full-time undergraduate or postgraduate certificate, diploma or degree.

To qualify you must be have been offered a place to study or be continuing studies on a full-time programme, that lasts 6 months or more, and leads to an approved qualification that is equivalent to or higher than level 6 of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF6) or working as a student union sabbatical officer in the UK.

If you are aged under 18 years old, and registered on a programme of study leading to an approved qualification below NQF 6 you may apply for a Tier 4 Visa - General or Child depending on the qualification.

Other conditions apply, we therefore advise you check the UKBA Tier 4 guidance or contact student-advice@gold.ac.uk before making an application for a Tier 4 Visa.

Applying

To apply for entry as a Tier 4 (General) Student, you will need to score 40 points in the UKBA points assessment: 

  • 30 points for a valid confirmation of studies (CAS), issued by a 'Tier 4 sponsor'; and
  • 10 points for having enough money to cover both your course fees and living costs.

You must provide all documents as requested by the UKBA, including your travel documents, i.e. passport, or your application may be refused. You may need to send additional documents if you are 16 or 17 years old, and/or you have an official financial sponsor. If you need help completing your application please contact student-advice@gold.ac.uk.

Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)

The CAS is a virtual document, assigned on the basis of information submitted to the UK Border Agency via the Sponsor Management System (SMS). If you are a continuing student, extending your current leave to study, you can request a CAS from the Student Centre, Room 117, Richard Hoggart Building (open Monday - Friday, 10am - 4pm) or email student-records@gold.ac.uk.

If you are an applicant, i.e. you have applied to study at Goldsmiths, your CAS will be issued subject to you being made an unconditional offer. Please contact the International Admissions, 41 Lewisham Way (Open Monday - Friday, 10am - 4pm) or email international-office@gold.ac.uk.

Students in their final year, who are in exam attendance, continuation or who have submitted their research thesis, may not be issued a CAS, but  instead be issued a letter to support application for a Student Visitor visa.

When requesting a CAS you must show both your current:

  • Passport, i.e. the passport with which you will be applying for a visa; and
  • Visa documents, i.e. biometric residence permit or visa stamps given in your passport.
Please allow allow at least 10 working days for your CAS to be assigned - we will contact you should we require further information or if we are unable to issue you a CAS for any reason.
When assigned we will email your CAS number and a summary of the information listed against your CAS, which is held by the UKBA. Goldsmiths accepts no liability for any costs associated with your application, whether it is accepted, rejected or refused. If you do notice any errors in the CAS statement or pay any tuition fees subsequent to issue of the CAS, please notify us immediately so we might update the CAS or add a sponsor note.
Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)

If you are applying for permission to commence or continue postgraduate studies leading to a doctorate (PhD) or master's degree by research (MPhil/MRes) in computer sciences or a subject allied to medicine you must obtain an ATAS clearance certificate, before we can issue a CAS. This is a mandatory requirement, and if you are a new Tier 4 entrants or your current permission to stay was issued on or after 30 November 2007, you will have to provide a print-out of your ATAS clearance before a CAS is assigned.

We will advise you of this requirement if applicable. Further information and the application for ATAS are available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website.

Qualifications and progression

If you are an applicant or new entrant, we will assign your CAS on the basis of your entry qualifications. You will be required to send evidence of any qualifications listed on our CAS together with your visa application, i.e. original certificate(s) of qualification; or original transcript of results.

The UKBA will not accept provisional certificates or photocopies, and each certificate of qualification must clearly show:

  • your name;
  • the title of the award;
  • the date of the award; and
  • the name of the awarding institution.

Continuing students, who have progressed beyond or are repeating their first year of study, will be issued a CAS on the basis of academic progression and should not need to send any qualifications documents with their visa application.

English Language Requirements

Since April 2011, all CAS must now include an English Language assessment. Students who are studying at degree level or above must be assessed to be competent in English language at a minimum level of B2 on the Common European Framework Reference for Languages (CEFR), equivalent to a minimum IELTS 5.5.

The following students are exempt from this requirement:

  • Tier 4 (Child) students;
  • students moving from Tier 4 (Child) to Tier 4 (General);
  • students who have completed a qualification equivalent to a UK degree, taught in English in the UK or another majority-speaking country; or
  • nationals of a majority English-speaking country.

Majority English-speaking countries: are Antigua and Barbuda; Australia; The Bahamas; Barbados; Belize; Canada; Dominica; Grenada; Guyana; Jamaica; New Zealand; St Kitts and Nevis; St Lucia; St Vincent and the Grenadines; Trinidad and Tobago; United States of America.

Financial information

You will be required to show evidence that you have enough money to pay both your course fees and living costs or maintenance. These will be listed on the CAS as:

  • Tuition fees payable for the current or subsequent academic session;
  • Accommodation fees payable if you are staying in Goldsmiths halls of residences.

Any amounts paid to Goldsmiths will be listed on the CAS, and you should not need to provide the UKBA any further evidence that you have paid this money. If you pay any fees subsequent to the CAS being issued please advise us so might update your CAS or add a sponsor note.

If you are issued a Tier 4 Visa and fail to pay any of the fees due, please note that we are obliged to report non-payment to the UKBA and you may be deemed to be in breach of your visa.

For further information on the finances you must have available to you please see the UKBA guidance online.

Compliance

The UKBA has issued Goldsmiths with a Highly Trusted Sponsor licence that allows us to sponsor international students to study, and issue CAS. By requesting a CAS students are therefore subject to both the terms of the Points Based System and Goldsmiths Tier 4 sponsor licence, including the requirement to monitor and report attendance and any change in a students circumstance, as summarised in Record Keeping and Reporting.

We must be assured that students have the correct leave to remain, and therefore require students to use their CAS and apply for a visa within a reasonable timeframe and by a fixed date stated on the CAS. Students who  unable to show us evidence of their application or show proof of leave to remain, will have their access to services suspended. Repeated failure to show documents or confirm registration on request, or failure to attend classes as required will result in Goldsmiths notifying the UKBA that it has withdrawn sponsorship fo such students.

Correspondence in relation to CAS and confirmation of registration will be sent to Goldsmiths email accounts or to local address. Students are therefore responsible for checking their Goldsmiths email account, and for notifying the Student Centre (student-records@gold.ac.uk) of any changes to either home or local addresses.

Student Visitor

If you want to come to the UK to study an English Language course that is less than 11 months long, or any other course that lasts no more than 6 months, you can apply to do so as a student visitor.

You must be:

  • Aged 18 or over;
  • Accepted or enrolled on a valid programme of study provided by a Tier 4 licence holder or an approved education provider; and be
  • Able to support and pay for accommodation for yourself and any dependants.

You will not be allowed to:

  • take employment in the UK (including part-time or full-time vacation employment);
  • engage in business, produce goods or provide services within the UK (including selling goods or services direct to members of the public);
  • study at a government-funded school;
  • undertake a work placement or internship (paid or unpaid) as part of your course of study;
  • extend your stay in the UK.

If you are aged 18 or over and you want to come to the UK to study an English Language course that is more than 11 months long, or any other course that is longer than 6 months, you must apply for a Tier 4 (General) visa.

Depending on your nationality, you may need to apply for a Student Visitor visa before you travel to the UK. We therefore advise students check the UKBA Visa Services web pages for clarification or contact student-advice@gold.ac.uk to discuss their status.

Applying

A CAS is not required for a visitor visa, but you will be required to show evidence that you have been accepted or enrolled onto a valid course of study. Letters to support your application for a student visitor visa are available on request from Student Centre, Room 117, Richard Hoggart Building (Open Monday to Friday, 10am - 4pm), email studentrecords@gold.ac.uk.

Working in the UK after your studies

The Tier 1 (Post-Study Work) immigration route was closed on 5 April 2012.

From 6 April 2012 non-EEA students may be able to apply to work as Tier 2 or Tier 5 if undertaking professional training. For further details of working in the UK please refer to the following websites:

Record Keeping and Reporting

Goldsmiths is only able to sponsor and teach international students from non-EEA countries if it satisfies all conditions and requirements of its sponsor licence, as listed in the UKBA Policy Guidance for Tier 4 Sponsors.

Record Keeping

For each Tier 4 applicant or student we are required to keep copies of their:

  • Passport, including personal details, labels or stamps confirming leave to remain in the UK;
  • Qualifications, i.e. those on which an unconditional offer was made;
  • ATAS clearance (where applicable - see FCO website); and
  • UK Biometric Identity Card.

Records of attendance and/or absence for all students (including EU students) should be maintained by academic departments for pastoral reasons, but may be requested by the UKBA should they visit.

Students must provide these documents to Student Services on request, usually at the point of application, at enrolment and/or when requesting a CAS or a letter to support their application for a student visitor visa. Correspondence in relation to visa matters may also be retained for audit purposes, all documents being held on the student file in accordance with Goldsmiths Data Collection Policy.

Reporting

We will only report Tier 4 students to the UKBA when they:

  • Fail to enrol and pay fees within the period specified by Student Services;
  • Fail to confirm their registration within the period specified by Student Services;
  • Fail to show passport or visa documents on request with the period specified by Student Services;
  • Absent themselves for more than 2 weeks, without appopriate authorisation of their Department;
  • Change their programme of study or are required to repeat in part-time or exam attendance;
  • Discontinue their studies, either interrupt, withdraw permanently or successfuly complete;
  • Are excluded for any reason, including failure to enrol or academic failure.

In these instances Goldsmiths must notify the UKBA that it is withdrawing it's sponsorship of a student, and provide the reasons for this action.

Both students and their academic departments must ensure formal notice of any change, interruption or withdrawal, is notified to Student Services as outlined in the General Regulations.

Confirmation of registration

Further to monitoring attendance, Goldsmiths will be asking international students to confirm their registration at several points in the academic year, in addition to enrolment or re-enrolment at the start of the session. Details of how and when to confirm registration will be emailed to Goldsmiths email accounts. To limit the inconvenience this might cause, students can confirm their registration online.

On submitting the form, registration is reported to Enrolments and Records, and students are emailed confirmation that they have registered - no further action is required.

Students who are unable to access the online form, whose details are incorrect, or who are discontinuing their studies should email student-records@gold.ac.uk, quoting 'Subject: Confirmation of Registration', their student reference, name and programme of study. We will confirm if their registration has been accepted, and/or if their details have been updated.

It's important that students confirm their registration, or we may assume they have discontinued their studies, withdraw sponsorship, and report them to the UKBA.

Compliance

In applying for a sponsor licence, Goldsmiths must undertake to comply with all requirements, and allow UKBA staff access to the premises on demand. Compliance visits may be either prearranged or unannounced, and we would expect UKBA staff to check our record keeping, review procedures for monitoring, and ensure effective reporting. During a compliance visit we expect that the UKBA would request to speak to staff in both central and departmental administration, and may even request to speak to sponsored students.

Failure to comply with the guidance can lead to Goldsmiths being downgraded or losing it's licence altogether, which would mean that we would be unable to recruit international students, and current students leave to enter or remain would be cancelled. It is therefore important that Goldsmiths staff and students work together to ensure compliance with the UKBA requirements where necessary.