Before you leave
Once you've received your visa you're ready to make your arrangements for travelling to the UK and arriving in Bath.
This may be your first time travelling to the UK and living away from home. The experience can be both exciting and overwhelming and you may not know what to expect when you finally arrive.
Here, we cover everything you need to know before you leave. You may also like to read our information on travelling to Bath and important information for when you arrive.
Checking your visa is correct
Once you've received your visa acceptance email or letter, and if applicable, your Entry Clearance vignette, you must check that all of the details are correct.
If you used the Home Office's ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app for your Student visa application you'll receive 'digital status' and an email from the Home Office when your visa application has been successful.
The 'digital status' means that the chip in your passport carries the information that you have been granted permission to enter or remain under the Student route.
Please remember that if at any point you replace your passport, you'll need to register the new passport against your UKVI account you made at the time of applying for your visa. The details of your new passport will not be moved to the new one automatically.
When you receive your visa acceptance email from the Home Office, you'll need to check the following details:
- Your name
- The reference number (should match the reference number you received when you made the application)
- That your application has been successful
- Start date (should be one month before the start date stated on your CAS)
- End date (this will depend on the length of permission you have applied for)
- If your course is longer than 12 months, you should be granted four additional months of immigration permission after the course finishes
- If your course is 12 months or less then you should be granted two additional months of immigration permission after the course finishes
- Study conditions (the sponsor is Bath Spa University and the course title is the course you're going to study)
- Work conditions (we would expect that you're permitted to work 20 hours a week during term time and full time during scheduled vacations according to the term dates)
- The condition to register with the police (if this applies to you, see the police registration section on our when you arrive page).
If you're a visa national, you'll receive a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) as well as 'digital status'.
If you did not use the app and instead made an application online and attended a biometric appointment at a Visa Application Centre (VAC), you'll receive a visa acceptance letter when your passport and documents are returned to you.
You will not have 'digital status' and instead have an Entry Clearance vignette (visa sticker) in your passport.
When you receive your visa sticker in your passport and accompanying letter, you'll need to check that the following details are correct:
- Your name, date of birth and gender
- That you have permission under the Student route
- The Sponsor Licence Number (SLN) is JVACU29U9, correct for Bath Spa University
- Start date (should be one month before the start date stated on your CAS)
- End date (this will depend on the length of permission you have applied for)
- If your course is longer than 12 months, you should be granted four additional months of immigration permission after the course finishes
- If your course is 12 months or less then you should be granted two additional months of immigration permission after the course finishes
- Working conditions (we would expect that you are permitted to work 20 hours a week during term time and full time during scheduled vacations according to the term dates)
- The condition to register with the police (if this applies to you, see the police registration section on our when you arrive page).
If you used the ACL code for Bath Spa University when you made your student visa application, your BRP will be delivered to the Immigration Advice Service on campus. You will be able to collect your BRP during the welcome period, depending on when you arrive.
If there are any mistakes on your visa email, Entry Clearance vignette or accompanying letter, these will likely also be on your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). If you have mistakes on your BRP you'll need to inform the Home Office to have these corrected, as described in your responsibilities as an international student. Please see our issues affecting your visa page to find the links you need to report the mistakes and request a new BRP.
The University, as your student sponsor, has its own responsibility to report mistakes on your BRP to the Home Office.
Planning your journey
University accommodation
If you're hoping to secure a place in our Halls of Residence, please refer to our accommodation web pages.
Proving your Right to Rent for private sector accommodation
We understand that some international students will not be moving into University accommodation and may be hoping to secure a tenancy elsewhere. The Accommodation team are able to assist and advise you on private sector accommodation.
As an international student, you'll need to prove your right to rent before a property owner or landlord will enter into a contract with you. The easiest way to do this is to prove your right to rent with a share code and the property owner can carry out the Right to Rent check.
You can use this service if you:
- have a biometric residence card or permit
- have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
- applied for a visa and used the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document on your phone.
Students who don't meet any of the above criteria and are hoping to secure a tenancy agreement before they arrive in the UK are still able to prove their right to rent but only after the student visa has been approved and you've received your passport with the entry clearance vignette. The Home Office has guidance online on how to prove your right to rent without the share code.
We've checked this guidance and believe international students will meet the requirements listed on page 5 of this document. There is also an FAQ section and there is a question concerning international students wishing to secure accommodation before arrival on page 14.
It should also be noted that a landlord cannot insist you use the online service if you can provide a document from the acceptable document list. They cannot discriminate against you because you need to prove your right to rent in a different way.
If you've been given 'digital status' then you can travel from the date stated in your visa email. It will say:
"You have been granted permission to enter and stay in the UK as a Student from..."
If your passport has been endorsed with an Entry Clearance vignette then you can travel to the UK on or after the ‘valid from date’.
We need to know your travel plans so please make sure you complete our form as soon as you have these in place.
It's important that you tell us if you're going to be late arriving to the UK – in particular, if you'll miss the registration and welcome week activities when we hope to see you for in-person enrolment.
You must arrive by the last course acceptance date stated on your CAS.
Ready to travel?
When you’re ready to make firm travel arrangements please have a look at our Travelling to Bath page.