Before you leave

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 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).

When you collect your BRP you'll need to inform the Home Office to have these corrected, as described in your responsibilities as an international student. The Immigration Advice Service will be able to advise and assist you to address any corrections when you arrive.

The University, as your student sponsor, has its own responsibility to report mistakes on your BRP to the Home Office.