Welcome to Kent!
We're looking forward to seeing you soon. But before we do, please find a wealth of useful information in our Arrivals Guide.
You've received your invitation to enrol - what's next?
You will need to make sure that you have all the information you require to complete the enrolment task. You cannot be registered unless you have completed enrolment.
Not sure what to do? Here are some instructions depending on your circumstances:
Guide to How to enrol as a new student.
Right to Study in the UK
Documents that you will need to provide in this section can be found here.
PLEASE NOTE: For the purpose of this section of the enrolment task, all non-British/Irish nationals are referred to as 'visa students', sometimes UKVI students (in the case of KentVision records) as you likely require immigration permission to be in the UK.
Even if you are an EU/EEA/Swiss national, post-Brexit (since 1 January 2021), you too require immigration permission for the UK.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct immigration permission that permits full time study and to provide evidence as such at any time upon request.
Students with digital status
If you confirmed your identity in your visa application using the 'UK Immigration: ID Check’ app, you will likely have been granted digital immigration permission. Categories include (but are not limited to):
- Student visa (EU/EEA/Swiss nationals from overseas or all nationalities applying from within the UK)
- EU Pre-settled Status
- EU Settled Status
- British National Overseas (BNO) visa
IMPORTANT: If you have been granted a digital status as a result of an application made overseas, you must not enter the UK until AFTER the Valid From date on your digital status. If you do, you will have entered as a Visitor and cannot be registered without the correct immigration permission for your course. You will have to leave the UK and re-enter within the validity of your permission.
Once you are shown your share code (which must begin with 'S' for our purpose), please either;
- take a screenshot of the code
- download it as a PDF document
and upload it as 'immigration permission'. Then we can verify your digital status.
Students arriving via eGates
If you are either:
- a national of an EU country, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland or the USA
- a member of the Registered Traveller Service
you can normally use eGates to enter the UK. There are over 270 eGates in place at 15 air and rail ports to enable quicker entry.
You should retain evidence of your date of arrival in the UK (such as a boarding pass or travel ticket/booking) as your passport/visa will not be stamped. You will be required to provide this in order to complete your registration.
IMPORTANT: If you have been granted a digital status or issued a vignette (visa sticker) as a result of an application made overseas, you must not enter the UK until AFTER the Valid From date on your status/vignette. If you do, you will have entered as a Visitor and cannot be registered without the correct immigration permission for your course. You will have to leave the UK and re-enter within the validity of your permission.
Students on short term studies (less than 6 months)
Non-visa national (does not require a visa)
If you are a non-visa national you can seek entry as a visitor at the border. This will either be via eGates (if an applicable nationality as above) or you will be stamped in by a Border Force officer.
If you enrol prior to arriving in the UK, you will need to upload a copy of your travel booking as 'immigration permission' in the enrolment task.
If you enrol after you have arrived, you will need to upload a copy of your boarding pass or ticket as evidence of your date of arrival. You will be required to provide this in order to complete your registration.
Visa national (requires a visa)
If you are a visa national and enrol prior to arriving in the UK, you will need to upload a copy of your vignette (yellow visa sticker in your passport) as 'immigration permission' in the enrolment task.
If you enrol after you have arrived, you will need to upload a copy of your stamped vignette.
You should retain evidence of your date of arrival in the UK (such as a boarding pass or travel ticket/booking) in the event your vignette does not get stamped. You will be required to provide this in order to complete your registration.
IMPORTANT: If you have been granted entry clearance on a vignette (visa sticker) as a result of an application made overseas, you must not enter the UK until AFTER the Valid From date on your vignette. If you do, you will have entered as a Visitor and cannot be registered without the correct immigration permission for your course. You will have to leave the UK and re-enter within the validity of your permission.
If your immigration permission does not cover the duration of your course
If you are already in the UK and you have a pending immigration application (as a Student using the CAS issued by Kent or another immigration category), you will be required to provide evidence such as a copy of either:
- Document Checklist or
- Submitted Application
You can download either of these documents from your UKVI visa application portal.
IMPORTANT: We cannot register you if you have immigration permission as a Student issued under sponsorship by another institution, even if the permission is still valid. You must have submitted a new visa application using the CAS issued by Kent and provide evidence as above.
You will also be required to sign a Combined Disclosure Form and return it to the Student Immigration Compliance Team before you will be registered. This will give us your permission to contact the Home Office to verify and check on the status of your application to ensure you retain the right to study.
If your current immigration permission permits full time study but does not cover the full duration of your course, you will also be required to complete a form.
We will email you if we require you to complete a form after assessing your documents provided in the enrolment task.
Distance learners or overseas campus students
If you are a distance learning/overseas campus student (for example Hong Kong Baptist University - HKBU) and are not required to come to the UK for your programme, please upload a copy of your residence card for your country of residence/recent document showing your name and current overseas address as 'immigration permission'.
If you are a distance learner and reside in the UK, you will still be required to provide evidence of your UK immigration permission in the task.
'Non-compliant' or 'No visa record'
Please note: there there will be no visa on your record until we have confirmed your Right to Study in the UK and have completed your registration. Please do not be alarmed if your record states 'non-compliant' or 'no visa record'.
You should see the following message in your student portal:
Registration
Sponsored Students (ie received a CAS from the University for sponsorship on a Student visa) will be required to register in person at the Arrivals Hub (Canterbury) or the Gillingham building (Medway).
If you are expecting to collect a BRP from the University, you will be emailed when the BRP is ready for collection.
Returning Registration for current students
If you are progressing to the next stage (academic year) of your course or are returning from intermission, you will be required to complete Returning Registration.
You will need to confirm/provide evidence of your passport and immigration permission (current visa) in the 'Right to study in the UK' section of the task.
Depending on your nationality and circumstances, you may need to provide a share code or additional evidence. If we need to see you at the Arrivals Hub, we will send you a link to the appointment booking system.
If you have any issues with your passport or immigration permission, please contact the Student Immigration Compliance Team.