Staying compliant with your Student Visa

It is important that you are aware of the conditions attached to your student visa so you can protect your immigration status during your studies. 

For up-to-date immigration information, we would recommend that you check the UKCISA news items. 

Terms and conditions

As a sponsored student of the University of Dundee, you are required to comply with the following terms and conditions to enable the University to continue to sponsor you.

Your course

You must:

• complete all matriculation requirements before the latest start date for your course 
• comply with the University’s Attendance and Engagement policy
• check your University emails and respond to correspondence in a timely manner and attend any mandatory meetings or events
• contact your School office if you intend to defer or suspend your studies (take a leave of absence) or withdraw from your programme

Contact Details and Address

You must keep the University updated with your current contact details. You can update these in your eVision account in the ‘Contact Details’ section, your semester study address should contain your contact details whilst you are studying.

To meet Home Office expectations those studying with us on a Student visa are expected to live within the Dundee area during all study periods at a maximum of 90 minutes commute to campus. We recommend living in the city of Dundee itself for the best student experience but Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen are all acceptable if you are willing to make the commute. Please note that living outwith Dundee is never an acceptable excuse for absence or lateness, it is your responsibility to meet your Student visa attendance requirements.

Working during your studies

• You must not work more than 20 hours per week during term time whilst you are an enrolled student (including the writing-up period).
• There are restrictions on the kinds of work you can do, more information can be found on UKCISA website.

Documentation

• To complete matriculation you will be required to present your original passport and current visa documentation If you are required to apply for an ATAS for your course you must provide this to the University when requested.
• If you get a new passport or visa during your studies you will need to provide the Immigration Compliance team with a copy. 
• If you notice any errors with your visa such as spelling mistakes or incorrect dates these must be reported to the Home Office within 10 working days of collection.
• You are required to maintain a local address within a 90 minute commute of campus and update your eVision account promptly of any changes to your local address and phone number
• Attend right to study checks when requested

No recourse to Public Funds 

• Student visa holders are prohibited from accessing public funds, this includes specific welfare benefits and local authority housing. A full list of what is included in public funds can be found on UKCISA website.
• Accessing the National Health Service and sending your children to state schools are not considered public funds.

If you are not able to meet the conditions of your Student Visa the University may be required to inform the Home Office and your visa may be cancelled. The Immigration Compliance team will always contact you by email before taking any action that will impact your visa, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us. 

Personal life

Below are some additional suggestions that will help you protect your Student visa during your studies

• Register with a doctor (GP surgery) as soon as you arrive in the UK, this is how you access most NHS healthcare in the UK and will also be where you request a sick note if you are unwell for more than a week.
• Arrange childcare for your dependants as early as possible. For information on childcare and early learning in Dundee visit the city council website.
• You will need to ensure that you prioritise your studies. If you have a partner it will be their responsibility to look after your children whilst you study, even if they choose to work whilst in the UK. 

Switching sponsor – information for new students

If you are switching to study at the University of Dundee from another institution you will need to make a  new visa application with the University of Dundee as your Student visa sponsor. A visa issued by a different University is not valid for study here. 

If you have already applied for your new visa you will be required to provide evidence of the application to complete matriculation.

For advice and guidance on submitting your application contact the International Advice Service on internationalsupport@dundee.ac.uk

Progressing to another degree with the same sponsor

If you have recently completed your degree and are choosing to remain with us to study further you will have been issued a new CAS by the Admissions team. You will need to submit your new visa application and provide evidence of this to complete the matriculation process and start your new course. 

Those in other visa categories, outside of a Student visa can enrol if their visa permits study, alternative visa types will come with their own terms and conditions