Student Visa Responsibilities
To maintain your visa rights in the UK you must continue at all times to meet the terms and conditions of your visa.
If we become aware that you are not complying with the conditions of your visa, we are under an obligation to report this to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). On this page you will find details of the conditions you must adhere to in order to maintain your Student visa.
A Student visa can only be used for study at The Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations UK and for the programme for which the visa was issued. If you have a Student visa from another university you will not be able to enrol or study at ISMC unless you have made an in-time Student visa application to extend your visa and switch to studying at ISMC.
Documents
ISMC are required to see originals of and keep copies of your documents. This includes the following:
Immigration documents
Documents used to obtain offer
You must be able to provide these documents for ISMC at or before enrolment. If you are not able to do so you will not be able to start your studies.
If you are unable to enrol by the ISMC enrolment deadline we must report this to UKVI. It is therefore important that you keep us updated if you cannot enrol before your start date for whatever reason. If you request a later enrolment date, we will consider whether you will still have sufficient time on your visa to complete your studies. If we do not think that you will have sufficient time to complete your studies, we will not allow you to enrol, and your sponsorship will be withdrawn.
If your visa is due to expire before your studies have finished, you are required to provide ISMC with evidence of your pending visa application and your new visa once it is received. This evidence must be provided to ISMC before your current visa expires. You will receive email reminders of your impending visa expiry starting 3 months before your current visa expiry date. If you do not provide either evidence of a pending visa application or a new visa before your current visa expires, ISMC will be forced to de-register you from your programme and withdraw sponsorship of your Student visa.
View and prove your immigration status
If you have been told you can view your immigration status online you can use the UK Visas and Immigration visa verification service to:
Get a 'share code' to prove your status to others, for example employers, or educational institutions
Update your personal details, for example your passport number or email address
Check what rights you have in the UK, for example the right to work, rent or claim benefits
Once you have your 'share code', you can provide this to ISMC so that we may verify your immigration status. ISMC must also check the date on which you entered the UK to ensure you entered within the validity of your visa. As such, the university may require you to also submit a copy of your boarding pass or flight details to confirm this.
You will also be required to send a copy of your confirmation email from UKVI which confirms you have been granted the visa, as this provides information about the conditions of your visa.
Attendance and absence
Attendance monitoring is undertaken by faculty and the Registrar Office at regular points during your time at ISMC. This is to ensure that you are engaging with your studies; to identify problems as early as possible to ensure that action can be taken to advise and/or assist; and to meet the requirements set by UK Visas and Immigration for those with Student visas.
As a Student visa holder, your visa status is dependent on your continued attendance on your programme. UKVI rules state that ISMC must report a student who is withdrawn because of failing to attend their programme without being granted authorised absence. This means you must maintain attendance on your programme and meet any minimum attendance requirements.
If you fail to meet your attendance requirements and/or do not provide ISMC with adequate reasons why you have missed attendance we may be required to report this to UKVI and withdraw our sponsorship of your visa. This will result in the curtailment (shortening) of your visa and you will be expected to leave the UK.
Withdrawing from your programme
ISMC is required to report to UKVI if you withdraw from your programme. In this case your visa will be curtailed (shortened) and you will be expected to leave the UK.
Change of immigration status
If you change your immigration status by moving into another visa category you must inform ISMC straight away. It is important that the university has up-to-date copies of your immigration status and it is your responsibility to update us with any changes.
Contact details
ISMC must hold on your student record, your UK contact address, telephone number and email at all times. If you change your contact details at anytime during your studies, you are required to provide the Registrar Office with updated details as soon as possible.
Working in the UK
At present, due to how our UKVI sponsorship licence is classified, students joining us on a Student visa are not permitted to take on paid employment during their studies. This does not affect your ability to undertake unpaid work placements, internships, or volunteering opportunities arranged through the university.
We are actively engaging with UKVI regarding our institutional classification, and this may change in the future. We'll update this page immediately should the situation change.
Further advice
For any further questions about your visa status, you may contact the ISMC Registrar's Office.
