Essential information before you apply for your visa

for students not from the EEA or Switzerland

For offer holders starting in Autumn 2016
Please read this information sheet very carefully to help you avoid any problems before coming to the UK and
to ensure there is no delay in you being allowed to enrol. Further information is available on the student visa
pages. This is a summary of the essential points.
Contents
i. How your student visa will be issued
ii. Financial documents required for your visa application
iii. Visa requirements for students
- Applying for your visa
- Students currently in the UK on a Tier 4 visa
- Current Oxford students starting a further (second) course
- Immigration health surcharge
- Tuberculosis screening requirement
- ATAS
- English language ability
- Previous UK study
Academic progression
- Visa interview
- Family members
- Police registration
i.

How your student visa will be issued

If you are applying outside the UK, you will be issued a 30 day vignette (sticker) in your passport and an
explanatory letter to allow you to travel to the UK. The vignette start date will be whichever is the later of
i) 30 days before your course start date as given on your CAS, or
ii) 7 days before your intended date of travel to the UK as stated by you in your visa application
(there is no commitment to actually travel on this date)
On arrival you will need to collect your visa in the form of a card (biometric residence permit- BRP) which will be
valid for the length of your course. You need to collect the card within 10 days of arriving in the UK, either from
the Post Office or by special arrangement at the Universitys Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford (see
below for details). You need your BRP to enrol at Oxford and for opening a bank account, so collect it as soon as
you can.
If you are a current student in the UK and apply for a new visa within the UK, your BRP will be sent by courier to
your home address.
a. Where to collect your BRP
The collection point for your BRP is decided by information you give during your online visa application. For a
limited period you may choose to collect it from the Universitys Examination Schools which we strongly
recommend as the Post Office may be extremely busy and there will be more staff to help you at the
Examination Schools. See below for how to choose this option. Otherwise, collection will normally be from the
main Post Office in the centre of Oxford.
i.

If you are arriving late September/early October (code for University collection 2HE627)

For those who have chosen this collection option in their visa application, the Home Office will distribute cards
at University premises (Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford) on Tuesday 27 September 1pm to 5pm,
Wednesday 28 September to Friday 30 September 9am to 5pm each day and Monday 3 October and Tuesday 4
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October from 9am to 5pm on both days. You will need to bring your passport and the letter issued to you with
your 30 day visa.
To collect your BRP from the Examination Schools there are two steps to follow:
1) During your online visa application you will be asked where you want to collect the card Biometric
residence Permit BRP collection
page:
choose alternative location and
enter the code: 2HE627
you will see the option:
Examination Schools 27 Sept 4
Oct Click confirm.
Your dependants can also use this
code and you can collect the card/s
on their behalf.

2) Please sign up here for a time slot to collect your card at the Examination Schools, you can change this
at a later date if needed. If you are attending the Orientation Programme please choose the day before
or after, not the same day as your Orientation Programme otherwise you may miss essential talks.
ii.

If you are arriving too early or late for Examination Schools collection arrangements

You will need to collect your card at the Post Office and we recommend the St Aldates Post Office in the centre
of Oxford. You may find queues during peak times in the mornings or Saturdays. When you apply for your visa
you will be asked where you want to collect the card on the Biometric residence Permit BRP collection page:
choose sponsor address postcode
enter OX1 2JD and this will display the St Aldates Post Office location
when you arrive in Oxford take your passport and the letter issued with your 30 day visa and go to the
Post Office to collect your BRP. You do not need to make an appointment.
b. If your travel plans change
If your travel plans change and your 30 day visa expires before you travel you will need to obtain a new 30 day
travel vignette which costs 189. If you have any further queries, please contact us.
ii. Financial documents for your visa application- and avoiding a visa refusal
The most common reason for refusal of a Tier 4 visa is submitting the wrong kind of financial evidence. If your
visa is refused you may need to apply again and pay the fee and risk being late for the start of your course.
The Home Office requirements are very specific and different from those for your College Financial
Declaration. The Home Office requires original documents accompanied by an official translation if not in
English. Full detail of the requirements is given in the Tier 4 Policy Guidance document. If you are a low risk
national applying in your country of nationality as defined in the guidance you do not need to include the
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financial evidence with your application but must have it available in the required format in case the Home
Office ask for it.
Please read our guide to completing the online application form carefully with reference to the amount of
money you will need to show the Home Office and who can be your financial sponsor.
iii. Visa requirements for students not from the EEA or Switzerland
(including students currently on a Tier 4 visa at another UK institution)
Applying for your visa:
The University website explains the steps you need to follow to obtain a visa before coming to the UK and a
guide to completing the online visa application form.
You should also check
i. UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI or Home Office) information on applying for your student visa in your
home country
ii. UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) also has a useful guide
The Home Office requirements are strict and you must follow them carefully to avoid delays or having your visa
refused. By the time you receive this email you will probably be within three months of the start date of your
course, so once your offer is unconditional (academic and financial) and you have received your Confirmation of
Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from your college or department you can start to apply for your visa. Prepare
thoroughly but apply as soon as you can to make sure you have your visa and can arrive in time for the start of
your course.
Students currently in the UK on a Tier 4 visa:
If you have been studying elsewhere in the UK, you must apply for a new Tier 4 visa before you start your
course at Oxford; you will not be allowed to enrol unless we have proof that you have applied for, or obtained
your new visa. If you will be applying in the UK, see the University webpages.
Note that if you have not successfully completed the course for which you were issued your most recent Tier 4
visa you cannot apply for a further visa from within the UK and will need to return home to make a visa
application. You will need formal evidence of completion of your course.
Current Oxford students starting a further (second) course at Oxford:
You should apply for a new visa before your next course begins, or at the latest within six weeks of starting the
new course i.e. by 18 November 2016. Please also note the above paragraph about completing a previous
course and contact us if you have any concerns.
Immigration health surcharge:
You will need to pay this charge when you apply for your visa, see the University webpages (item 6) for further
information.
Tuberculosis screening requirement:
You need to be screened for TB before applying for a visa, if you have been living in a listed country for more
than six months immediately before your visa application. The list of relevant countries and approved centres is
shown in Appendix T. The certificate is valid for a visa application made within six months. It is advisable to get
screened early, and you do not have to wait for your CAS to do this.
ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme):
Students studying certain Science, Engineering and Technology degrees may require an ATAS certificate. If this
applies to you (not all subjects) it would have been stated in your admission offer letter and your college (for
undergraduate students- MPhys, MPhysPhil , MMathPhys and MEng Materials only) or department (for
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graduate students in relevant subjects) will supply you with the details to make an application, and your CAS
will indicate your subject requires ATAS.
You must use the research statement agreed with your department that they will send you for ATAS purposes,
or the list of subject topics for undergraduate students sent by your college for ATAS. You do not have to wait
for your CAS to be issued, or your offer to become unconditional before you apply for ATAS. You should apply as
early as you can as it can take 20 working days to receive a certificate and you need it before you apply for your
visa. Since 6 April 2015 other types of visa holders e.g. dependants who want to study a relevant subject as well
as Tier 4 visa holders should apply for ATAS before they start or continue their course.
English language ability:
If you are from an English speaking majority country, as defined by the Home Office in the policy guidance
paragraph 127 or you completed a degree from one of these countries taught in English your CAS will state
'Migrant from English speaking majority country' or 'Migrant completed degree from English speaking country'
and you do not need to do anything further for your visa application. Otherwise, your CAS will state 'HEI has
made assessment'. Do not submit any English language test score with your visa application as it could cause
problems with processing it.
Previous Study in the UK:
There is a limit on the amount of time that you can spend in the UK studying. Your visa will be refused if your
new course would exceed this limit. Before issuing your CAS we will have checked so far as we can on the
information we have available that your visa application will not put you in breach of the time limit. If you have
studied in the UK before, please check UKCISAs information and notify your college or department if there
could be a potential problem.
Academic progression:
If you have studied in the UK before then any further study needs to be at a higher level, or if at the same level
represent deeper specialisation or be related to your career aims. You must have successfully completed your
previous course if extending a visa within the UK. There are exemptions from the requirements if applying form
overseas.
Interview:
You might also need to attend a short interview for your visa, so check your email regularly and your junk mail
folders in case UKVI do send you an email appointment for interview. This will usually not apply to students
from low risk countries as explained on the Home Office website.
Family members:
For information about bringing family members to the UK please see the University webpages about visas for
your family. If you have concerns about not being able to bring your family members as Tier 4 dependants
because you do not meet the requirements, then please contact us for advice.
Police registration:
Some nationalities will need to register with the police on arrival in the UK within 7 days. Please see our website
for further information. You will need your student enrolment certificate, a passport photo and 34 in cash
exactly.
Further information:
For questions about applying and help with visa problems, please email the Universitys Visa and Immigration
Advisers: student.immigration@admin.ox.ac.uk Please note that in the busy summer period it may take us a
few days to reply to your email as we receive a large number of queries.

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