Visas and Immigration arrival information

Before you travel 

If you require a Student visa, you need to apply for this before you travel to the UK. Applying for a Student visa can be a complicated process, so please make sure you read our online information and guide here.

By now you will hopefully have received your CAS document from us and have submitted your Student visa application. Please remember, you must not travel to the UK until your visa has been granted. It’s not possible to travel to the UK as a visitor and then apply for or receive your visa when you’re here, even if you don’t usually need to apply for a visa to travel to the UK. 

You may see references about applying for a Student visa inside the UK on the UK Visas & Immigration website. However, this is only possible in certain circumstances where eligibility requirements are met and where this has also been confirmed by the University.

Your visa to enter the UK 

As part of your application, you'll need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on where you are from and what type of passport you have.

If you were able to use the UK Immigration ID check app to confirm your identity as part of your application process, you'll receive your entire visa as a digital visa. This can be viewed online and will show the dates you can enter on your Student visa (you must make sure you don’t enter the UK before your visa start date). You'll be sent an email by UK Visas & Immigration to inform you of when your visa has been granted and what your visa dates are. If you have digital status, you won't receive a physical document (such as a vignette) to prove your immigration status and only need the passport you used to apply for your Student visa to enter the UK.

If you were not able to use the UK Immigration ID check app, you will need to attend a Visa Application Centre to provide your biometric data after you have submitted your online application. Once you have received a decision on your application, you need to create a UKVI account and link your eVisa. Instructions on how to do it can be found on your decision email. You can also follow the instructions on the UK Government website or watch a tutorial video prepared by the Home Office.

When you arrive in the UK, you'll need to pass through UK Border Controls. It's important that you don't attempt to enter the UK before your Student visa start date. You'll usually need to speak to a Border Control Officer to receive a stamp in your passport at the airport, port or train station when you first arrive. 

Students from the EU, EEA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland and the United States of America who already have their Student visa can enter the UK using eGates. If you enter via an eGate, you will not receive an entry stamp in your passport, confirming the date you entered the UK. We'll need to see alternative evidence of the date you entered the UK, such as a flight boarding pass or confirmed ticket. 

You must not travel to the UK before your Student visa commences, even if you can usually travel to the UK without a visa. If you enter the UK before the start date of your Student visa, then you will be granted entry as a Visitor. If this happens, you will need to leave and re-enter the UK within the validity of your visa and you will not be able to start your studies at Regent’s until you do. 

You may be asked to provide documents to the University in line with UK Visas and Immigration requirements. 

You will receive an email from the Admissions team setting out which documents you need to provide and when. You may also receive further correspondence from the Visas team regarding this. Please ensure you reply promptly to these emails. 

If you have questions regarding specific document requirements, please contact the Admissions team at [email protected].   

Your contact details 

You need to make sure we always have your current address, email, and telephone number. This is a UK Government requirement and key for us to communicate important information to you about your visa. If your details should change while you're a student at Regent's, you must update us and UK Visas & Immigration as soon as you can. 

If you hold status under the EU Settlement Scheme we will need to verify this online as part of your enrolment check. Please use the following UK Visas & Immigration service up to 30 days before you enrol as a student at Regent’s. This service can be used even if you’re still waiting for your EU Settlement Scheme application to be decided. Please send us your code along with your Student ID to [email protected].  

If you don’t hold status under the scheme you will need to apply for a Student visa. Please get in touch with the CAS team via [email protected] to start this process. 

Regent's University London
Inner Circle, Regent's Park
London
NW1 4NS 
United Kingdom 

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