Changes to your study

As a student you may experience various changes in circumstances, which may have an impact on your Student visa. This means that we may be required to report these changes to the Home Office as part of the University’s sponsor duties.

Your Student visa may be affected if:

  • You change the course for which you current Student visa was granted.
  • You suspend or take a break from your course.
  • You change the institution where you are studying.
  • You finish your course earlier than expected.
  • You withdraw from your course yourself, or are withdrawn by the University due to academic or attendance concerns.
  • You change your mode of study to part-time/external to finish your course from home.
  • You are repeating modules or sitting exams without attendance.
  • You are moving to study at University of Huddersfield.
  • You are moving from University of Huddersfield to another university to study
  • You did not enrol on your course and/or you decide to defer (delay) your studies.

It is therefore important that you follow the advice provided below and contact the Immigration & Compliance team to discuss your change of circumstance so we can advise you accordingly.

Changes to your study FAQs

Changes of address and contact details

If you have changed your address in the UK, you must complete the following steps

Changing your course

The University will need to inform the Home Office if you want to change your course from the original course you enrolled on.

Further information regarding changing courses is available in our Factsheet - Changing Course with a Student Visa  (Adobe PDF)

If you are thinking about changing your course, please email us or attend one of the Immigration Drop-in Sessions (term-time only) on Mon & Wed 1200-1300 and Fri 1100-1200, so we can advise you further.

ATAS clearance

If you change your course you may also require a new ATAS clearance certificate:

  • If the change of course has resulted in a change in your CAH3 code, you will have to apply for fresh ATAS clearance.
  • If you were not required to obtain for an ATAS clearance for the previous course, you must check with your school if the new course is subject to ATAS clearance.

You must obtain fresh ATAS clearance before you can start studying the new course.

 

Changing institutions - Moving to Huddersfield

Your circumstances as well as your progress on your current course will determine if you can apply for your new visa in the UK or not.

If you have sucessfully completed a course at another institution in the UK and planning to move to University of Huddersfield to start a new course, you will need to apply for a new visa using a CAS issued by the University of Huddersfield. After you have submitted your visa application, you will be allowed to enrol for your course. You can apply for your new visa from inside the UK.

However, you must return to your home country to make a new Student visa application in most other cases, e.g. you failed to complete the course for which your current visa was granted and you wish to move to University of Huddersfield to start a new course.

The Immigration & Compliance team can help you to submit your visa application as it’s a free service offered by the International Office. Should you decide to submit your own application, when you come to enrol you must provide documentary evidence (i.e. copies of your visa application and bank statement etc.) to confirm that you have applied for your new visa. However, you will be enrolling at your own risk as if your student visa application is refused this may affect your registration at the University.

 

Changing institutions - Moving from Huddersfield

If you are planning to leave the University of Huddersfield to start a new course at another UK institution, you will need to apply for a new Student visa using a CAS issued by the UK institution that you will be moving to. If you are leaving Huddersfield midway during your course, it is likely that you will be required to apply for a new visa from overseas.

As your current sponsor, the Immigration & Compliance team in the University of Huddersfield will report your change of circumstances to the Home Office who will curtail (shorten) your current visa length.

  

Changing your mode of study

If you are in the UK on a Student visa studying a full time course and wish to change your registration to part-time or external student so you can finish the remainder of your course from your home country, you should discuss this with your school in the first instance. Once your mode of study has formally changed to part-time/external, the Immigration & Compliance team is obliged to report this to the Home Office, who may then decide to curtail (shorten) your visa length.

As a part-time student you may be able to visit the University on a Standard Visitor Visa.

 

Repeating or re-sitting without attendance

If you are required to repeat / re-sit modules but you have a gap of more than 60 days before your next required attendance at the University you must leave the UK as soon as possible after your last class/assessment. You must then contact the Immigration Team at least 2 months before you are due to return to your studies so we can advise you regarding your new visa application and CAS. you

Example 1: You have completed your exams and you have no required attendance in Semester 1 (September to December). Your next classes will start in Semester 2 (January to April) As there is a gap of more than 60 days between your last class and your next required attendance), you will be required to leave the UK and apply for a new visa in order to return to your studies.

Example 2: You do not have any classes in Semester 2, however, you have to attend re-sit examinations in July. You will be required to leave the UK and apply for a new visa to return to the UK for your examinations.

 

Interrupting your study

If you need an extended break in your study e.g. a gap year (due to a change in your personal circumstances or for academic reasons), which the University cannot approve under the authorised absence policy, you will be expected to interrupt or suspend your study.

Once a suspension has been approved, you School will inform the Immigration & Compliance team and you will be expected to leave the UK within 60 days of the official suspension date.

As your sponsor, the University must report your suspension of study to the Home Office who will curtail (shorten) your visa.

When you are ready to return to study and your School have approved your request to resume, the Immigration & Compliance team will issue you with a new CAS number to apply for a fresh Student visa in your country. You will be required to provide evidence that you left the UK within 60 days before we can issue a CAS.

If you agree to the above, you can proceed with completing the Interruption of study form available on the Registry website. Please forward the completed form to your school’s PGR Admin Team for approval. 

 

Withdrawal from studies

If you are considering withdrawing from your course, you should discuss this with your school and/or the Immigration & Compliance team to see if there are any other options available to you. Once the withdrawal has taken place the Immigration & Compliance team will report this to the Home Office who will curtail your visa.

Further information as well as procedure is available on the Registry website.

If you have been formally excluded or withdrawn from your studies by your school, the Immigration & Compliance team will report this to the Home Office. Once this step is complete, you will be sent a confirmation email. You will be expected to leave the UK within 60 days of withdrawal.

If you have been formally withdrawn and you wish to resume your studies in future, you may be required to re-apply for admission as a new applicant.

Academic extensions – Postgraduate Research students

As a Student visa holder if you require additional time to complete your research course (MRes, MPhil, DBA or PhD etc.), you can apply for an academic extension with the help of your school’s PGR Admin team.

If the length of your academic extension will take you beyond the expiry of your visa, you will be required to make a new Student visa application at your own expense prior to the expiry of your current visa. You must contact the Immigration & Compliance team at least three months ahead of your visa expiring.

If you agree to the above, you can proceed with completing the Application for additional time on the Registry website. Please forward the completed form to your school’s PGR Admin Team.

 

Finishing your course early

If you finish your course earlier than expected, the Immigration & Compliance team is obliged to report this to the Home Office. Depending on the amount of time left on your current visa, the Home Office will curtail (shorten) your current visa. You will normally be required to leave the UK within 4 months of the new course end date.

For example, if your visa included a work placement year, and you decided not undertake the work placement, we would report your early completion of the course to the Home Office. Your visa would then be shortened to the new course end date plus 4 months.  You must then make plans to leave the UK within the additional 4 months’ period. However, should you decide to apply for further study in the UK at a higher level, you will be able to apply for a new visa in the UK.

 

Non-enrolment or deferring your study

If you are granted a Student visa and you did not enrol for your course within the enrolment period for any reason, the Immigration & Compliance team is obliged to report this to the Home Office who will cancel your visa. Similarly, should you decide to defer your study to the next available intake, you should not use your visa to travel to the UK as it would be cancelled. You should instead apply for the University to issue you with a new CAS for the next session and apply for a fresh Student visa.

 

Related links

Registry website – Current Students