Privacy notice

The University has a legal obligation to ensure that all students have immigration permission to study with us. As part of this, we need to collect and store some personal and immigration information.

What information we collect

Your personal information, such as your name, address, email address and phone number.

Your financial information, such as when applying for a CAS or visa, however this information is securely disposed of as soon as your visa has been granted.

Why we collect your information

The Student Immigration Compliance Team have a legal obligation to ensure that all students have immigration permission to study at the University of Kent. This includes the following categories of immigration permission:

  • Students holding a Student route visa
  • Students holding time limited immigration permission
  • Students holding short term study visas
  • Students holding any other type of immigration permission

How we collect your information

Your personal and immigration permission information is obtained when you apply to us for a course of study, and at registration directly from yourself. When information is required to establish your immigration permission as a new entrant or continuing student, we may need to obtain this directly from the Home Office.

Where we require information such as your attendance and academic engagement information, contact details including your address, email (Kent email and personal email) and mobile telephone number, these are obtained from your KentVision student record or from your school/department.

We may require special category data such as, but not limited to, medical evidence relating to prolonged periods of absence. This is obtained directly from yourself or from your school/department. We do so only when it is necessary for complying with our legal obligations around Immigration Rules. In addition, where a student is also employed by the University of Kent, applicable information is obtained from the Human Resources department in order to ensure that we comply with those same legal obligations.  

How we use your information

The information that we obtain is used to ensure that the University is complying with and discharging its duties under all aspects of the Immigration Rules and sponsor guidance. The University will process your information in compliance with the terms and conditions of sponsorship/registration waiver (whichever is applicable).

Who your information is shared with

Protecting your personal information is important to us. Sometimes it is necessary for your personal information to be shared with third parties to ensure that we meet our legal sponsorship obligations. Where applicable, this would be with: 

  • UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) for the purposes of discharging our legal obligations
  • University of Kent employees for the purposes of acting as your immigration sponsor
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