This information is for students who currently hold a Student Visa to study with the University of Westminster, if you are a prospective student and wish to study with us, please read the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
Your Student Visa is granted based on the information recorded on your CAS. A CAS includes details such as the name of your course, start and end date, level, and the award you are working towards. Any changes to this information are likely to impact your Student Visa.
Some of the changes that may take place during your studies are listed below. This information does not take into account your individual personal circumstances, we advise you speak to Student Advice to discuss your personal situation in more detail.
If either you or the University is making a change to your studies you should consider the following before taking any action:
- You should always get academic advice from your Personal Tutor and your Registry Office
- If you are struggling with your course, or require help with your study skills, you could approach your Tutor, or the Learning Support Department
- If you have exam anxiety or emotional, personal or practical issues that might be preventing you from concentrating on your studies, talking things through with a counsellor can also be helpful
- If you think you may be on the wrong course and would like guidance on your future career choices and whether a different course would help you achieve these, contact our Careers and Employability Service
- You should check if making a change to your studies will impact on your tuition fees, if you need to pay more or any refund you might be entitled to. For further information on your fee liability following a change please see current Fees and Charges Policy
- You may need to pay additional money for your accommodation or halls of residence. You may have signed a contract for a set period of time, so if you decide to leave you may still owe rent
- The effect on your rights to Council Tax exemption and your entitlement to use the National Health Service
- That you may have to stop any work you are doing if you stop being a student
Students studying on a Student Visa at the University of Westminster are not able to change from a full-time to a part-time mode of study. This is because Student Visa sponsorship at the University of Westminster is offered only for full-time courses. If you wish to change to a part-time course at another institution you will need to contact them for advice on whether they offer part-time Student Visa Sponsorship.
If you wish to transfer from one university to another, you will not be able to study on your new course with your current Student Visa as this would have been issued for you to study at the University of Westminster and cannot be used to study at a different University. You must obtain a new CAS from the university you will be transferred to, and it is likely that you will not be able to apply in the UK for this visa, you will normally be required to apply for your new visa from your home country, due to the academic progression rules.
If you currently hold a Student Visa for the University of Westminster and are looking to transfer to a different full-time course within the University, you must be mindful of the deadlines for submitting such requests.
When you submit the transfer request, it will be processed by the Registry Office and consulted with the Visa Compliance team. The Visa Compliance team will need to approve your request.
You will only be able to transfer courses and keep your current Student Visa if:
- You can complete the new course within the duration of your existing visa, and
- The Visa Compliance team is satisfied that the change meets the UKVI criteria: if you are moving to a course which is not related to your original course, the Visa Compliance team is likely to request a supporting statement from you explaining how this change supports your genuine career aspirations;
- If your transfer request does not meet the above criteria, you will not be able to commence the new course on your existing visa. In such a case, you would need to obtain a new CAS and apply for a new Student visa from your home country before starting the new course.
Please see the guidance on interrupting your studies to understand the process.
You should also pay attention to fee liability deadlines, which you can find in paragraph 6.11 of the current Student Fees and Other Charges Policy. Depending on the time you interrupt your studies, you may become liable for additional course fees.
If you interrupt your studies for more than 60 days, your Student Visa will normally be curtailed/cancelled (please see further information on what this means at the bottom of the page). You will be required to leave the UK for the period of interruption and apply for a new Student Visa to resume your studies. If you are an undergraduate student, it is important that you read about time limits on study and seek further guidance if you have studied with a Student Visa at undergraduate level in the past or if you have any retakes or placements which may extend the length of your course.
Returning to your course after interruption
You will not be able to use your previous Student Visa to resume your course after interruption, even if the expiry date on your BRP/e-visa is still in the future. This is because Visa Compliance would have withdrawn the sponsorship of your visa, and you can no longer use it to enrol on your course or to return to the UK.
Instead, you need to request a new CAS from the Visa Compliance team and make a new Student Visa application from your home country. Please remember that you must meet the eligibility criteria for the Student Visa again, including the financial requirement. You can return to the UK only once you receive a new Student Visa.
We advise to request your CAS at least 3 months before you are due to resume your classes.
Graduate Route visa eligibility
Interrupting your studies may impact your eligibility for the Graduate Route visa. Read more on our Graduate Route visa page.
Deferring a part of your course often impacts your Student Visa and it may also impact your eligibility for the Graduate Route visa. If you are an undergraduate student, it is important that you read about time limits on study and seek further guidance if you have studied with a Student Visa at undergraduate level in the past or if you have any retakes or placements which may extend the length of your course.
Deferring assessments
If you defer assessments to a period which is not already covered by your Student Visa, you will not normally be able to extend your Student Visa for this additional period. This is because you can only extend your Student Visa for a period when you have mandatory timetabled attendance.
If you no longer have timetabled attendance, you will be expected to leave the UK before your Student Visa expires and complete your assessments remotely. If your assessment is an in-person exam, you should check with the Student Centre whether you can organise to take this exam overseas, and if this is not possible, you may be advised to return to the UK on a Standard Visitor Visa. If you need to be in the UK for another reason after your Student Visa expiry date, for example, to access University resources, you will also need to look into applying for the Standard Visitor Visa.
If you defer your assessments to a period which is covered by your current Student Visa and you continue attending your classes without having a gap in attendance, then you should be able to complete the assessments in the UK under your Student Visa.
Please note that if your final results and award are confirmed after your Student Visa expires, you will not normally become eligible for the Graduate Route visa.
Deferring dissertation
Please refer to the above section on deferring assessments. Dissertation module does not normally require mandatory timetabled attendance, and, in most cases, students will not be able to extend their Student Visa for the additional dissertation write-up period. Deferring your dissertation will often mean that you will not become eligible for the Graduate Route visa.
Deferring modules with attendance
If you defer modules with timetabled attendance to a period which is not already covered by your Student Visa, you may be able to obtain a CAS for the additional period of timetabled attendance.
A new CAS is always necessary when applying for a further grant of Student Visa.
If deferring your modules means that you have no classes to attend for more than 60 days during term time (for example, if you defer all your modules in a semester or a year), then the sponsorship of your current visa will normally be withdrawn, which will lead to your Student Visa being curtailed/cancelled. In such case, you will need to leave the UK and apply for your next Student Visa from your home country once you have a new CAS.
If you defer some of your modules but continue having timetabled attendance during term time, your existing Student Visa should not be affected. You can then request a new CAS for any additional periods of timetabled attendance if it is not already covered by your Student Visa. Depending on your circumstances, the Visa Compliance team will inform you whether you can extend your visa in the UK or must apply from your home country. Students who need a longer visa as a result of deferring will often find out that they need to make the subsequent visa application from their home country.
When applying for a Student Visa, please remember that you must meet the eligibility criteria again, including the financial requirement.
If the dissertation module is among the modules you defer, it is likely that your new CAS will not cover the dissertation write-up period. This will often mean that you will not become eligible for the Graduate Route visa.
If you complete your course earlier than the original end date on your CAS, for example, because you decided to remove a work placement year which was included in your CAS or because you finished your PhD degree earlier than anticipated, the Visa Compliance team will need to report your early completion to the UKVI.
Please note that withdrawing from your course or being excluded from your course does not equate early completion – please see the section below instead.
If the University reports your early completion to the UKVI, you will be notified of this via email by the Visa Compliance team. As a result of this report, the UKVI will normally curtail/cancel your visa, leaving you with the same length of post-study period as granted previously (normally four months after your new completion date, unless your course is shorter than 12 months). It is the UKVI who actions curtailments and you will normally receive an email or a letter notifying you of the curtailment and the new visa end date, however, you should not wait for this notification before taking further action – instead, you should seek further advice on your options as soon as you are informed of the withdrawal of sponsorship by the University. Otherwise, you may unintentionally overstay your visa and there may be further complications.
Once your visa is curtailed/cancelled, you will not be able to re-enter the UK. If you are abroad after the curtailment is actioned, please seek further advice. Please note that this will normally impact your eligibility for the Graduate Route visa, as it is not possible to apply for this visa from outside the UK.
Please contact Student Advice if your visa is reported to the UKVI. We offer online appointments so you can also speak to us if you are overseas.
Please see the guidance on withdrawing from your course to understand the process.
You should also pay attention to fee liability deadlines, which you can find in paragraph 6.11 of the current Student Fees and Other Charges Policy. Depending on the time you withdraw from your studies, you may become liable for additional course fees.
If you withdraw or are excluded from your course, the University will need to report this to the Home Office. This is likely to result in the curtailment/cancellation of your Student Visa. Please see the section below for more information about this process.
When you have an extended period of non-attendance during term time, including when you interrupt your studies, have a semester without timetabled attendance, or are withdrawn from your course, the University will normally withdraw the sponsorship of your Student Visa.
Withdrawing the sponsorship means that the University informs the Home Office that you are no longer in attendance and, as a result, the Home Office is likely to curtail (cut short) your visa.
When the sponsorship is withdrawn by the University, you will receive an email from the Visa Compliance team informing you accordingly. Following this, your visa is likely to be curtailed to 60 days (leaving you with 60 days to leave the UK or seek advice on your options if you cannot leave). If your visa is already expiring in under 60 days, it will generally not be curtailed. The Home Office will normally notify you via email or letter when they curtail your visa, however, you should not wait for this notification before taking further action – instead, you should seek further advice on your options as soon as you are informed of the withdrawal of sponsorship by the University. Otherwise, you may unintentionally overstay your visa and there may be further complications.
If the Visa Compliance withdraws the sponsorship of your visa whilst you are overseas, you should not attempt travelling back to the UK with your Student Visa as you may be denied entry.
Students who interrupt their studies are normally expected to leave the UK for the period of the interruption.
Please contact Student Advice if the sponsorship of your visa has been withdrawn. We offer online appointments so you can also speak to us if you are overseas.
If you are unsure how changes to your course may impact your Student Visa, please contact Student Advice for further guidance.