Visas, immigration and CAS
In order to study in the UK you'll need to meet the various visa and immigration conditions outlined by the Home Office.
Understanding your visa
If you're an international student, you must understand and comply with the conditions set out in your visa. Breaching your visa conditions could have serious consequences for your immigration status and could affect your right to study in the UK.
You can find the required guidance for securing your CAS and Student Route visa, as well as FAQs on placements.
Student Route visas
In order to study in the UK you'll need to meet the various visa and immigration conditions outlined by the Home Office. But before you apply for your Student Route visa, you must request a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
Once you have received a CAS, you can then apply for a student visa. Before making your application, read the information on the website. You'll also get guidance from our specialist international team on the following CAS and Applying for your visa pages.
Placement year FAQs
It is possible to add a placement year into your degree. However, there are some rules you must follow.
If you would like to add a placement year, you must first secure the placement by the relevant deadline. The placement office must then approve the course transfer.
You will need to apply for a new CAS as a continuing student to obtain a new visa that will cover the remaining length of the course.
You are permitted to work full time hours for your approved placement employer.
In addition to this, you can work a maximum of 20 hours per week for any other employer.
Your faculty will transfer you off the placement route and you will be awarded the one-year masters at the next exam board. The compliance team will report your change of course to the Home Office and your visa will be cancelled within 10 days of your new course end date. UKVI will send you an email confirming your new visa expiry date. As a guide you will still have four months extant leave from the date of the visa cancellation report.
After you receive the email confirmation of your visa cancellation from the compliance team, you will have four months of extant leave.
Please obtain a course completion letter from your faculty student office after your new course end date. You can provide this to your employer as proof of your course completion.
For more details on working requirements, read our advice on working in the UK on a Student Visa. Or contact our immigration advice team for more details on [email protected].
If you travel outside the UK after your new end date has been reported to the Home Office, you risk not being eligible to apply for the Graduate Route.
The advice from the Home Office is not to travel outside the UK until your Graduate Route visa has been granted.
Graduate route FAQs
A Graduate visa gives you permission to stay in the UK for at least 2 years after successfully completing a course in the UK.
You must be in the UK when you .
The Graduate Route is only open to those who have successfully completed their course and who have valid Student Route permission when they apply. You must be fully awarded before you can apply. Therefore, if you are required to use your extant leave to complete failed modules, you may not have enough time left on your visa to apply for the Graduate Route.
Whether you are still eligible will depend on your individual circumstances.
Following the exam board and assuming you have been awarded your full degree, we will inform UKVI of your eligibility for the Graduate Route visa.
You will receive an email confirmation of this with your CAS number and further details on how to apply.
Useful links
Got a question?
Our international team is always happy to help. Send us a message and the appropriate department will email or call you back.
