Your responsibilities as a student visa holder - Guides (2024)

Your responsibilities

You must comply with all immigration rules. If you don’t, you could:

• lose your student status
• lose your immigration status
• cause the University to lose its Student visa sponsor license – this means the University could no longer sponsor international students to study at the University.

These are your responsibilities as a student visa holder:

• Make sure your passport and visa are valid.
• You must respond if you are asked to present your passport, visa or other documents in person.
• Report any changes to your documents to the University by emailing visas@st-andrews.ac.uk. For example, if you:
  • get a new passport
  • get a new BRP card
  • extend your visa (not through the University)
  • change your immigration status.
• If you change any details or documents, report the changes to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) immediately, according to your visa type:
  • BRP card
  • Digital visa
• If any of your contact details change, including your term-time address and telephone number, you must update your details immediately using MySaint.
• Register for your programme of study within the matriculation period at the start of the academic year (or in January for certain programmes).
• Attend lectures, seminars, laboratory sessions and tutorials and complete all compulsory elements of your course on time. The University's Academic Alert policy is used to monitor student attendance and engagement.
• Self-certificate for any absences using MySaint, and keep your School or department up-to-date with any issues affecting your studies.
• Follow University procedures if you are:
  • planning to take a leave of absence
  • changing your programme of studies
  • applying for a change of location of studies
  • intending to withdraw from your studies.
• Leave the UK within 60 days of reporting to the UKVI if you take a leave of absence or withdraw from your studies.
• If you are permitted to work, you cannot work longer than the maximum weekly limit (Monday to Sunday) of working hours during term time, as stated in your visa conditions. You should check your visa to know what conditions apply to you. As a guide, the typical limits on paid and unpaid work, are:
  • 20 hours a week if you are studying at degree level or above
  • 20 hours a week if you are on a study abroad programme at an 'overseas higher education institution' in the UK
  • 10 hours a week if you are studying a course below degree level.
• You cannot:
  • start a business
  • undertake a business-related activity
  • be self-employed (even if your business is registered abroad)
  • work as an entertainer or professional sportsperson, including as a sports coach. For more information, visit the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) blog: A working definition.
• Keep up to date with tuition fees and other payments.
• Stay up to date with all immigration rules and comply with them.
• If you are planning to request a change to your programme that will, for example, change its end date, you must email advint@st-andrews.ac.uk to get advice from the University's International Student Advisers before requesting the change. You may have to leave the UK and get a new visa.

The University's responsibilities

The University of St Andrews and their students must comply with the points-based system policy guidance and the immigration rules. The University can lose its Student visa sponsor license if it doesn't comply. This means the University will not be able to accept international students, and those currently studying at the University will need to find another university or return to their home country.

We take our legal duties very seriously. Read more about the University’s approach to:

• managing its compliance duties, on the UK Visas and Immigration Student Visa Compliance Statement
• student engagement management, on the Monitoring Student Visas for UKVI Compliance Purposes: Principles of Engagement Management policy.

The University's responsibilities are, to:

• Retain copies of all documents related to your immigration status in the UK, such as passports, visas, biometric ID cards, police registration certificates and ATAS certificates.
• Ensure that entry into new courses represents academic progression.
• Keep up-to-date contact details for you.
• Make sure that we only allow you to study at the University if you have the correct visa to study at the University of St Andrews.
• Report you to the UKVI if you do not enrol when expected.
• Monitor your attendance and report any unauthorised absences to the UKVI.
• Report any changes in your student status such as:
  • leave of absence (suspending your studies)
  • termination of studies
  • withdrawal from studies
  • changes in course length
  • changes of course title
  • periods of study abroad or placements away from the University
  • late submission of coursework or dissertation
  • resubmission of coursework or dissertation
  • unauthorised absences
  • deferring your course
  • transferring to another course or university.
• Report you to the UKVI if you breach any immigration rules.
• Record your suspension of studies as a leave of absence when the suspension is caused by personal or academic reasons, including illness, pregnancy, maternity or paternity leave, or financial reasons. UKVI will normally expect you to leave the UK within 60 days, unless you are not medically able to do so. You may not be able to return home if you are in the late stages of pregnancy.
• Report any leave of absence to UKVI if you have a Student visa that was issued using a CAS number. UKVI may cancel your visa.

Read the University’s student visa compliance statement for more information.