Student Visa Responsibilities
Student Visa Responsibilities
As a Student or Tier 4 Visa holder, there are numerous conditions to which you must adhere.
Attendance & Engagement
If you hold a Student Visa or Tier 4 Visa, it is a legal requirement for you to engage with and participate in all areas of your programme of study. As a condition of the University's Student Sponsor Licence, we are required by law to monitor your attendance and engagement. We are also required to notify the Home Office if you withdraw from your programme of study or fail to attend and engage to a satisfactory level.
Engaging with your studies means:
→ Attending lessons, lectures, tutorials, labs, and seminars
→ Sitting tests, exams, and assessments
→ Meeting your supervisor(s) and/or Academic Advisor
→ Submitting your coursework, reports, and dissertation
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For Undergraduate Students
If you are an Undergraduate student who is unable to attend a timetabled activity for any reason (e.g. illness), please see the Student Absence Policy. If you have an issue that may prevent you from engaging with your studies for a longer period, it is very important that you discuss this with your School.
Undergraduate students are not usually required to attend or engage with their studies over the summer holiday period. Please see the University's Senate Office webpages for more information on semester dates.
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For Postgraduate Taught Students
If you are an Postgraduate Taught student who is unable to attend a timetabled activity for any reason (e.g. illness), please see the Student Absence Policy. If you have an issue that may prevent you from engaging with your studies for a longer period, it is very important that you discuss this with your School.
If you are studying a one-year Master's programme on a Student Visa, your Visa will usually be sponsored for study in the UK for the full 12 months of the programme, including the summer period where you will work on your dissertation/project. During this period, you are still classed as a full-time student, and your Visa requires you to remain in Glasgow, study on campus, and continue to engage with your studies as such.
If you wish to have a short holiday of up to 3 weeks away from Glasgow, you are not required to seek permission from your School, provided that you are not required to attend any meetings or preparatory sessions during this time. If you require a longer period of absence from Glasgow, you must seek permission from your School. Please note that such requests may or may not be approved.
If you wish to write and submit your dissertation/project from outside the UK, you must consult with your School first. If you are granted permission, the University will inform UKVI that they are no longer sponsoring your Student Visa, and your Visa will be curtailed. This will not prevent you from completing your programme remotely.
If you are interested in applying for the Graduate Visa, please note that you will be required to study the full 12 months of your programme inside the UK, with the exception of approved trips that last less than 3 weeks.
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For Postgraduate Research Students
If you are Postgraduate Research student, you are required to engage with your studies full time throughout the academic year, with the exception of any brief periods of annual leave. If you need to leave the UK for personal reasons or for research, please see the University's webpages or contact your Graduate School.
For you, engagement also entails:
→ Meeting with your supervisor(s)
→ Attending research-method or research-panel meetings
→ Writing-up seminars or doctoral workshops
→ Sitting an oral examination/Viva
→ Submitting chapters, research plans, or a full thesis
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For All Students: Suspension of Study & Long Periods of Absence
You may need to suspend your studies due to personal, medical, financial, or other reasons.
Suspensions of 60 days or less: If your School or College gives you approval to be absent for a period of 60 days or less, your Visa sponsorship will continue, and your Student or Tier 4 Visa will allow you to stay in or re-enter the UK to resume your studies later.
Suspensions of more than 60 days: If your School or College gives you approval to be absent for more than 60 days, the University is required to withdraw sponsorship of your Visa. If you are in the UK, you will need to leave the UK and apply for a new Visa when you are ready to return to resume your studies. This also applies to suspensions of study requested for maternity leave.
If you are considering suspending or deferring your studies, please contact International Student Support.
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Changes to Your Studies
Your Visa is issued for study on a specific course or programme, and there are only limited circumstances under which you can change to a different one midway through your studies.
UK immigration rules only allow Student Visa holders at the University to change to a different programme if all of the following circumstances are met:
→ The new programme must at bachelor's degree level or above
→ The new programme must not be at a lower academic level than the previous one
→ The student must be able to complete the new programme within their current visa duration (i.e. the new programme must not go beyond the student's visa expiry date)
→ If Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) Clearance is required for the new programme, this must be applied for and obtained before the change is made.
Read more about ATAS Clearance
If these circumstances are not met, you may need to obtain a new Visa to embark on your new course. You may or may not be able to apply for a new Visa inside the UK.
Up-to-Date Personal Information
When you register on MyCampus, you must provide the University with your term-time contact details.
This should include:
→ Your residential address in the UK
→ Your home telephone number in the UK (if you have one)
→ Your mobile telephone number (if you have one)
You are required to keep these details up-to-date using MyCampus. You will receive an automated email from MyCampus to your Student Email Inbox each semester to remind you of this.
Been issued a new passport/BRP during your studies at the University? Upload a copy here
Informing the Home Office of Changes
You are also required to update the Home Office about any changes to the following for yourself and your dependants:
→ Personal details
→ Criminal convictions
→ Contact details
→ Representative details
Update your details with the Home Office
Biometric Residence Permits
If you have a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), you must also keep this up to date with certain changes. You can face a fine of up to £1,000 if it is not kept updated.
Working While Studying
Students studying on a Student Visa or Tier 4 Visa at the University of Glasgow are generally allowed to work under the following conditions:
→ If your course is at or above Bachelor's-level: up to 20-hours-per-week during term-time;
→ If your course is below Bachelor's-level: Up to 10-hours-per-week;
→ During University vacation periods and during the Visa 'Wrap-Up' period following the completion of your course: full-time;
→ While on work placements that form an assessed and integral part of your course.
For most Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught students, 'term-time' is defined as the University's official semester dates. Some programmes, however, may follow a different calendar. Please consult with your School for more information.
Postgraduate Taught students working on their dissertation/project during the summer semester are still in 'term-time', and are therefore still subject to the weekly working limit. Full-time work is permitted for students who have completed their programme, including the submission of their final dissertation/project, and where the course end date on their CAS has passed. This is known as the Visa 'Wrap-Up' period, which generally lasts for around four months. During this time, the weekly limit on working hours does not apply.
Postgraduate Research students do not have designated vacation periods. Their weekly working limit applies year-round, except for periods of approved annual leave, and the University's period of closure over Christmas and New Year.
If you work for more than one employer and/or more than one University department concurrently, the cumulative number of hours you work must not exceed your total limit. A week is defined as a period of 7 days starting on a Monday and ending on a Sunday.
The following types of work are completely prohibited for Student Visa holders:
→ Self-employment/business activity
→ Doctor/Dentist-in-training (except for recognised foundation programmes)
→ Sportsperson/Sports Coach
→ Entertainer
→ Any full-time, permanent vacancy (with the exception of Student Union Sabbatical Officer or Doctor/Dentist-in-training on a recognised foundation programme)
Working permissions should always be shown on your Entry Clearance Vignette and/or your BRP. A breach of working conditions is a very serious offence which can result in detention, removal from the UK and automatic refusals of future UK Visa applications.
Read more about working permissions
Students with Short-term Study Leave are not permitted to work in the UK, including on work placements.