You should read and understand your visa responsibilities, which are a condition of your continued sponsorship. It is your responsibility to provide the University with your current and valid passport and visa.
You must inform the Student Immigration Compliance Team of any changes to these documents while you are a registered student at Kent. Please read our guidance on making changes to your studies, for example if you change course.
Attendance and engagement
Attendance and engagement with study is a condition of your sponsorship. While you are a registered student at Kent, you are expected to participate fully in your studies by:
- meeting the attendance requirements of your course
- complying with the University's procedures for course attendance as well as university regulations
- reporting any absences to your school and provide concessionary evidence in support of the absence if required.
Failure to comply with such conditions, or to follow university regulations regarding attendance and engagement, may result in the University of Kent withdrawing your Student visa sponsorship, and therefore terminating your registration as a student. You can read more in our attendance and engagement FAQs.
How we can support you
Student Support and Wellbeing
The Student Support and Wellbeing team are a trained team of professionals committed to improving access to learning and provide a wide range of support.
For help and support out of office hours, you can also get in touch with our partner mental health organisations.
Register with a GP
As part of your Student visa application, you paid the immigration health surcharge which entitles you to free NHS hospital treatment in the UK on the same basis as someone who is ordinarily resident. Therefore, as your visa is your responsibility, you are expected to ensure you are registered with a local GP to be accessible to you in cases of illness or if you need support with something medical.
If you have European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) you may still use local GPs for medical issues.
How to register attendance
All students are required to register their attendance at timetabled events, such as lectures and seminars, in Moodle. See the how to register attendance guidance page for more help.
We monitor Postgraduate Research student attendance through monthly supervisions. It is important that you complete all monthly supervisions throughout your registration at Kent. Where you are unable to attend, you should inform your Divisional PGR team and supervisor as soon as possible and reschedule the supervision meeting in the same month. If you fail to complete/attend supervision meetings you will be deemed as absent and will be required to provide supporting evidence.
Immigration permission checks
As a Student visa sponsor, the University must ensure that all students have the right to study in the UK. Non-British passport holders must have valid immigration permission that permits study.
Registration
To complete enrolment, you will be asked for a combination of the following documents:
- Current passport/national ID
- Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)
- Entry clearance vignette (if you applied for a visa from outside of the UK)
- EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) sharecode
- Any other document you have that proves your current immigration permission for the UK
To complete Registration, you must visit us in the Arrivals Hub in person. If you are sponsored on a Student visa, you must present us with your stamped entry clearance vignette (if you applied for a visa outside of the UK) and collect your Biometric Residence Permit card (if you are not collecting it from the Post Office). We will retain a copy of this for our records.
If you have applied for a visa from within the UK but haven't yet received it, you may still be allowed to register for your course. You will have to provide evidence to show you have submitted an in time* application for a new Student visa using the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) issued by Kent. We will also ask you to sign a waiver document, which we will send to you. You will be expected to update us as soon as you have a decision on your application.
*In time means submitted prior to your previous leave expiring.
Visa delay
If you are waiting for the outcome of a recent visa application, you must bring a photocopy of your passport and documents proving that you have made a valid visa application. If you have shown us a valid visa application at the time of registration, we will expect to see the visa as soon as it is issued.
Please note that the Home Office does not send us a copy of the decision or your BRP, and therefore you should not assume that we have this in our records.
You should email the Student Immigration Compliance Team with a full, clear, colour copy of both sides of your BRP and your passport as soon as you receive it back from the Home Office.
The terms and conditions of your Student visa stipulate that you update us on any changes to your immigration documents. Failure to provide these documents, or to respond to our emails, may put your Student visa at risk. Your immigration status is your responsibility; you must ensure that you make a valid application and update the Student Immigration Compliance Team on changes to your immigration status throughout your studies.
Switching visa categories
If you are switching from the visa category that you originally registered with at the University, you must inform the Student Immigration Compliance Team that you have made a valid application under a different category and keep the team updated on the progress and outcome of your application.
If your application is successful, you must provide us with evidence of your new immigration status. If you were registered as a Student visa student and are no longer under the Student visa category, the University will withdraw sponsorship. It is very important that you co-operate and act honestly in all dealings with the University.
Visa/passport expiry
The Student Immigration Compliance Team monitor the passport and visa expiry dates of all visa holders. The team may contact you, on your Kent email address, with a reminder that you must update us with changes to your passport or visa document ie if a document is lost and replaced.
It is also important that you let us know if you are in the process of applying for a new passport or visa renewal and have the relevant evidentiary documentation available.
Travelling outside the UK during your studies
If you intend to travel outside the UK during term time you must inform your Division.
You do not need a No Objection letter/certificate (NOC) to travel home or a country for which you hold immigration status. You can use your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) or proof of immigration permission for the UK to re-enter the UK. You can also have a status letter with you in case you are questioned at the UK border.
If you are applying for a visa to travel to another country and the visa process requires a No Objection letter (for example a Schengen visa to visit Europe) you can request one from the Student Record Administration Office via statusletters@kent.ac.uk. A No Objection letter is to confirm that you need to leave that country to fulfil obligations in the UK (ie to complete your course).
If you intend to travel during vacation periods and you are applying for a visa to travel to another country and the visa process requires a No Objection letter (for example a Schengen visa to visit Europe) you can request a No Objection letter from the Student Record Administration Office via statusletters@kent.ac.uk.
Please note: If you are a postgraduate taught student and you intend to travel either before or after submitting your dissertation, you are still in term time until your expected completion date and must therefore seek permission from your division to travel. Please note this may impact your eligibility for the Graduate route.
The Student Immigration Compliance Team does not issue NOC letters.