International students

Most international students will need to apply for a visa to study in the UK.  If your course is for 6 months or less, you will need to apply for a visitor visa. If your course is for longer than 6 months you must apply for a Student Route visa.  

Read our guide to applying for a visa. You can also find information and guidance on how to apply for your visa on the Kent Students' Union Advice Service website.

To apply, you must have received a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number from our Recruitment and Admissions Office.

Before the University can issue a CAS, we must carry out some checks. These checks include, but are not limited to, ensuring that students have not exceeded the maximum study time allowed to be in the UK as a student, ensuring that students can meet the costs of tuition fees, maintenance and accommodation. We will ask for supporting documents to evidence the checks that we are required to make.

All students who are subject to immigration control and who are intending to study certain subjects are required to apply for an ATAS certificate before applying for a visa.

You should apply for your ATAS certificate as early as possible from when you have received a conditional offer to study at a UK Higher Education Institution (HEI).

Make sure your ATAS certificate will not expire before you apply for your UK visa. Read more about the ATAS certificate.

You can find out if your course is on the ATAS list by checking its CAH3 code with Admissions and visiting the ATAS pages at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website.

If you are applying for a student visa for six months or longer, you are required to pay the immigration health surcharge as part of your visa application fee. This will allow you full access to the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK. 

If you're studying at Canterbury you can register as a patient at the Medical Centre. If you're studying at Medway, you should register with a local doctor near to your accommodation in order to receive treatment under the National Health Service. More on Health Services at the University.

Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application

In order to avoid delays to your visa being granted, it is essential that you prepare well in advance and that you submit the correct documents. More information can be found on the following websites:

• GOV.UK
• Kent Students' Union Advice Service
• Student Immigration

To complete your visa application, you may need an appointment to provide your biometric details (photograph and fingerprints) at your visa application centre and pay the IHS. It is important that you do not delay in completing all the Student visa application steps as any delay could result in your visa being issued late and you not being able to register onto your course on time.  

Read our information on how to get to our Canterbury and Medway campuses.

Read the Guide to faster travel through the UK border to be more prepared about what you may need to present at Border Control.

Make sure the following documents are packed in your hand luggage:

• Current passport (and old passport if your current visa is in it)
• Your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)/Home Office visa decision letter
• An eVisa sharecode
• Biometric Residence Permit (if applicable)
• Health certificate (if applicable)
• Proof of your finances
• Copy of your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) email
• Academic certificates, marksheets and transcripts
• Accommodation Arrival Pass (if you're living on the Canterbury campus)*
• Accommodation Agreement (if you're living at Pier Quays at Medway)

See our Student Immigration website for more information.

If you're living in accommodation on the Canterbury campus you will need to show a copy of your Arrivals Pass to collect your key from your college reception on arrival. You can show a paper or digital copy but we recommend that if you are using a digital copy that you have downloaded this onto your phone before arriving. 

If you will be arriving outside of reception opening hours you can still collect your keys from there, but will need to use the call-point near reception to contact Campus Security so they know you have arrived and can come to help you.

If you are on a course lasting six months or less you can be seen as a temporary patient at the Medical Centre (Canterbury campus) and the Sunlight Centre (Medway campus), but you will be unable to register. You may not be entitled to further National Health Service (NHS) treatment  (for example onward referral to hospital services, if required), so you should arrange private medical insurance.

Arrivals Guide: Health and Wellbeing

There are branches of the main national banks (Barclays, Halifax, Lloyds, NatWest and Santander) in Canterbury city centre (for the Canterbury campus) Chatham and Gillingham (for the Medway campus). There are also a range of UK digital banks such as Monzo. 

How to open a UK bank account

It's a small thing, but an essential one!

We're planning some exciting virtual and in-person events to help you get familiar with the University and settle in. See Welcome Week events.