Immigration Conditions

Your Pre-Settled status will only be valid for five years. Once you have been in the UK for five years, you can apply for the EUSS again to be granted Settled status. Please visit the UK Government website for more information on the EUSS and its validity. If you have any questions regarding the EUSS, please contact InternationalCompliance@derby.ac.uk. 

If you have switched from a Private Route Visa to a Student Visa and your application is in progress, you may enrol with proof of application. For applications under any route other than a Student Visa, visa approval must be obtained before enrolment can take place.

If you enrol on a non-Student visa that expires before the end of your course, you must apply for an extension. You remain liable for tuition fees even if the extension application is refused. If you choose to switch to a Student Visa later, you do so at your own risk, as the University cannot guarantee that your CAS or visa application will be approved. For more information about obtaining a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) letter please click here.  

While your documents will be checked during enrolment, please note that it is your responsibility to review your visa permissions, details, and conditions. If you believe an error has been made, please notify InternationalCompliance@derby.ac.uk immediately and report the error to UKVI.  

You are required to complete enrolment on your course on time. This includes re-enrolment for returning students and enrolment to retake failed modules. If you are on Student Visa, the enrolment deadline is specified on your CAS letter and must be adhered to. 

Once you have enrolled, if you were required to pay an £8000 deposit, this will be retained and is non-refundable. If you withdraw and have paid over £8000 towards your fees, please refer to the withdrawal calendar to see if you are eligible for any refund. For further information please see the International Deposit Refund Policy or contact studentrecordsandawards@derby.ac.uk for guidance on the withdrawal calendar.   

All overseas fees must be paid within two instalments set by the university. Please click here for more information. It should be noted that payment plans are not available to overseas fee payers (if you have been issued a CAS for a Student visa, your financial documents would have been assessed prior to CAS issuance). If you do not pay this may impact on your ability to study and could lead to your visa being curtailed (shortened/cancelled). If your offer letter states you are paying Overseas fees, but you believe you may be eligible for Home fees, please contact askadmissions@derby.ac.uk to request a Tuition Fee Assessment.  

If you are on a Student Visa and wish to change course/programme during enrolment or whilst you are actively studying, please contact InternationalCompliance@derby.ac.uk for your request to be reviewed before contacting your Programme Leader or College. Please note that you can only change your course in the UK and if your current and new course has an 80% similarity between the course modules/materials. If your course is not within the same subject group your transfer will not be approved, however if you still wish to pursue a course/programme change you may do so by leaving the UK and applying for a new entry visa for your new course. For any module changes that do not require a course change, please contact your College team for support.  If you are on another immigration status, please also contact your College directly to request any course/programme or module changes. 

You are required to attend all classes and any other academic engagements. If you are unable to attend a class, you are required to notify your Supervisor, Personal Academic Tutor, and/or Programme Leader of your absence. You must also record your absence through the UDO portal in advance of the class. Please note that recording an absence does not constitute approval, and any extended absences must be formally discussed and approved. Be advised that any requests to amend your timetable must be submitted through your academic department, and we cannot guarantee that timetable changes can be made to accommodate personal circumstances. For further information please contact timetables@derby.ac.uk.   

Written approval is required for any extended absences due to personal reasons. You must provide an explanation for your absence along with appropriate supporting evidence (e.g., medical documentation). Each request will be reviewed to ensure compliance with regulations. Whilst there are no travel restrictions on other visa types, if you must travel on a Student Visa during term time due to exceptional circumstances, you will need to submit a travel authorisation letter request form to request a travel letter from the university. Your travel letter request is subject to our reviews, and we strongly advise you not to book any non-refundable travel tickets before you receive approval. For more information, please click here.

You must maintain satisfactory academic progress on your course and comply with all scheduled deadlines.   

You must ensure that all your personal details are accurate, including your address, phone number, and other relevant information.  Please do so using the UDO portal and the online UKVI form to update your details as required. You are required to contact InternationalCompliance@derby.ac.uk if there are any changes to your visa status (including pending applications). If you are on a Student Visa and have been discontinued, deferred, or are changing your course, and are unsure of the next steps you need to take, please contact the International Compliance team.  

You must ensure that your visa remains valid while you are in the UK. If eligible, you should submit a new visa application before your current visa expires and ensure that you do not overstay your visa. If you have been granted permission to extend your stay in the UK, please send a copy of your share code to InternationalCompliance@derby.ac.uk for your records to be updated.  

You are required not to exceed the maximum hours that you are allowed to work in a week during term time. Students on a standard student visa route may work up to 20 hours a week on a degree-level course, or 10 hours on a below-degree level course. For more information, please click here. If you are on a different immigration category you must check your work restrictions by either accessing your Gov.uk account or by contacting UKVI directly.  

Your responsibilities as an international student include:

• Physically attend your timetabled taught sessions regularly
• Tap in (with your student ID card) when you enter the classroom for timetabled session
• Engage in all academic sessions
• Actively use of study materials and course resources
• Report absences on the MyAttendance App
• Provide relevant evidence / documentation for missed contact

Further details can be found in the university's Student Participation Policy.

Your attendance is being monitored on a regular basis to ensure that you are engaging with your course to predict your academic progression and achievement and possibly identify and provide support if needed.

In the following sections below, you can find additional course specific attendance requirements and basic information regarding your attendance monitoring.

Your attendance will be monitored based on your timetabled lessons and attendance swipe logs from the 'tap-in' device in the classroom. All students are required to tap in using their student ID card before or at the start of their sessions. This should be no longer than 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after the beginning of the session.

If you forget your student ID card or forget to tap in, please notify the lecturer before or after the session and they can update your attendance immediately in the attendance monitoring system called TDS. If you forget to do so on the day, you can also email the lecture to confirm your attendance and inform the International Attendance Team at internationalattendance@derby.ac.uk to update your attendance retrospectively. 

TDS system works mainly as a tool to monitor your attend and is also available for you to see your overall attendance or report your absence. Please find further information in your UDO app, tile “MyAttendance” or find the online guide here: MyAttendance Guide.

The International Student Compliance team conducts attendance spot-checks regularly and at random. Students found to be fraudulently augmenting their attendance records are in breach of their Student Code of Conduct and Student Charter and will undergo disciplinary measure. 

Students may have specific attendance requirements required for their programme of study. If your course is not listed below, please refer to the Student Participation Policy.

Foundation Year students studying on below degree programme (International Foundation Programme / Foundation Pathway Programme):

Students are required to maintain at least 85% attendance classroom-based studying any given month. Should your attendance who fall below 85%, you will need to meet with the International Student Compliance Team to discuss your absence and steps to improve your attendance. During the meeting your student record will be annotated with the above details.

If your attendance drops below 70% for three consecutive months within the academic year, you be issued a W14 Notice of Intended Withdrawal and will be at risk of being withdrawn from your programme, unless there are exceptional and evidenced reasons to support any absence. You will be asked to attend a meeting with the International Student Compliance to discuss this before a decision is made.

 Postgraduate Research Students (Mphil / Doctoral):

Postgraduate Research Students are required to attend one academic engagement / contact point each month and confirmed by Director of Studies, as detailed below:

• Engagement with supervision meetings
• Undertaking laboratory, studio or field work as part of their masters/doctoral research project
• Engagement with their Application for Registration § Engagement with their Confirmation/Transfer of Registration
• Submission of their Overseas Quarterly Reports 41 of 41
• Submission of their Annual Progress Report
• Engagement with Progression Review meetings (including for Intention to Submit for Examination
• Thesis Submission/Resubmission
• Viva voce

For more information, please refer to the Postgraduate Research Regulations.

Postgraduate Research does not include Master of Research (MRes) programmes. Please refer to the Student Participation Policy for attendance requirements.

Based on the UKVI Guidance and the Student Participation Policy, we will monitor your attendance and contact you in case of absence.

If you cannot attend your timetabled lessons, or you know you will not attend in future, you are expected to report the absence using the MyAttendance tile in UDO app. All absences are considered unauthorised and impact your attendance percentage; absences can be approved pending relevant documentation / medical evidence.

If you do not attend for:

• One week of your timetabled lesson, you will receive a notification about your absence.
• Two weeks of your timetabled lesson, you will receive a notification about your absence and will be contacted by the attendance monitoring team within the International Student Compliance team (internationalattendance@derby.ac.uk) to contact them an explain your absence. Any evidence relevant to your absence should be provided.
• Three weeks of your timetabled lesson, you will receive a notification about your absence and will be contacted by the attendance monitoring team within the International Student Compliance Team (internationalattendance@derby.ac.uk) to contact them an explain your absence. A W14 Notice of Intended Withdrawal would be issued, and you would be expected to take steps to re-engage with your course. Any evidence relevant to your absence should be provided.

If you do not engage with the International Student Compliance team after continuous absence, you will be in risk of being withdrawn from your course. 

Extended absence limiting your studies and regular attendance may be approved up to four weeks, pending relevant documentation / medical evidence.

Approval of an absence or an extended absences will be solely at the discretion of the International Student Compliance team and the review of relevant documentation / medical evidence supplied. The university considers relevant medical evidence such as:

• Fit Note
• Doctors Note
• Allied Health Professional (AHP) Health and Work Report
• Exceptional Extenuating Circumstances (EEC) Form, if registered with the on-site GP surgery, Park Medical Practice.
• Other relevant medical documents from a Healthcare Professional

This will need to be signed / dated and on header letter paper or stamped by the Practice or Hospital.

Any longer absences or circumstances that results in a student ability to temporarily unable to engage be may be considered for an Break in Learning (BIL) from Studies. Where concerns around a student’s ability to participate in their studies, student’s may be referred to the Support to Participate in University Life policy or automatically record a student on a Break in Learning.

However, this break means that the student's visa would be cancelled and you would have to return to your home country or switch to a different visa type.

You might be invited to meet after receiving the W14 notice of intended withdrawal, or concerns around non-attendance, with the International Student Compliance team. During this meeting, we will consider some of the following:

• Any circumstances that led to the lack of engagement
• Illness, injury or hospitalisation with medical evidence
• Your future actions that should be taken to improve attendance and prevent future absence

After you commit to the re-engagement plan, your attendance will remain monitored, and your profile will be reviewed to ensure your regular attendance.

If your attendance does not improve or you do not engage with your studies, you still could be in a risk of being withdrawn.

You might be contacted by the International Student Compliance team if there are any other academic concerns or issues raised by academics.

If you withdraw from your course, either voluntarily or because of a University decision, your withdrawal will be reported to UKVI, who will begin to process to cancel your visa. UKVI will then issue you a letter confirming that your visa has been curtailed (shortened/cancelled) to expire in 60 days, regardless of the original expiry date. The University will notify you by email once the report has been made and will advise you to make arrangements to leave the UK as soon as possible. Accordingly, you are expected to depart the UK within 60 days from the date of notification.  

If you wish to take a Break In Learning (BIL) due to personal, financial, or academic reasons, and the gap is more than 60 days, this will be reported to UKVI, who will begin to process to cancel your visa. As you will no longer be studying, UKVI will then issue you a letter confirming that your visa has been curtailed (shortened/cancelled) to expire in 60 days, regardless of the original expiry date. The University will notify you by email once the report has been made and will advise you to make arrangements to leave the UK as soon as possible. Accordingly, you are expected to depart the UK within 60 days from the date of notification.   

When your BIL is actioned, the University will contact you to confirm when you are expected to return to study (September or January in the relevant year). UKVI will also be made aware of this date. Accordingly, you will require a new CAS letter to apply for a new visa before you return to study. You will need to contact InternationalCompliance@derby.ac.uk to start the process of obtaining a new CAS no later than two months before you are expected to return. Please note that if you require an ATAS certificate, it is your responsibility to apply for this at least three months in advance. For more information on Breaks in Learning please click here, or to learn more about obtaining a CAS please click here.  

Please note that there may be circumstances where the University may need to enforce a Break in Learning. Accordingly, the information provided above will apply. For more information please click here.  

If you believe you may require a visa extension to complete your studies, you will need to email InternationalCompliance@derby.ac.uk. The team will assess your profile and, if required, issue a new CAS letter. The University will notify you three months in advance of your current visa expiry date; however, if you wish to submit an enquiry, this must be done via email as the team are unable to provide advice on visa extensions in person or by telephone until your case has been fully reviewed. Once your new CAS has been issued you must submit your visa application as soon as possible and provide proof of the application to InternationalCompliance@derby.ac.uk. If the application is approved, a new share code must be submitted to the visa team, and if it is refused, the visa team must also be notified, and you will be required to leave the UK immediately. For further information on visa extensions, please click here.  

Please note that students on a Student Visa may study for a maximum of five years on undergraduate programmes in the UK, including any time spent if you change universities or repeat years. Once the 5-year cap is reached, you cannot extend your student visa.  

A placement year allows students to take a year out of university to work in a job related to their course. If your programme offers an optional placement year, it is usually undertaken between Stage 2 and Stage 3. Once your placement begins, the International Compliance team will notify UKVI of this change in your circumstances. During the placement year, you must remain enrolled at the University and pay the applicable fees. As the placement lasts one academic year, your expected course end date will be extended by one year, making the total duration of your course four years instead of the original three. Consequently, after completing your placement and enrolling onto Stage 3, you will need to obtain a new CAS in order to apply for a visa extension to cover the additional year by contacting InternationalCompliance@derby.ac.uk 3 months before your visa expires. For more information, please click here.  

Please note that students on a Student Visa may study for a maximum of five years on undergraduate programmes in the UK, including any time spent if you change universities or repeat years. If the optional placement year means that your programme duration exceeds the 5-year cap, you cannot undertake the placement.  

Where a placement year is confirmed as integrated, it will not breach working hour restrictions (See below for information about working hours). Please contact PlacementsTeam@derby.ac.uk to discuss what is considered integrated.  

Once your assignments have been submitted and graded, you will remain “active in programme” until your award has been finalised at an assessment board. The assessment board is an internal process in which assessment outcomes are reviewed and, where appropriate, awards are formally ratified (officially confirmed). Once your award has been finalised, the International Compliance team will automatically assess your eligibility for the Graduate Route visa. The Graduate Route visa allows international students to stay in the UK to work or look for work for a limited period. To be eligible, you must have successfully achieved the full award for which you originally enrolled, be studying at degree level or above, and have no outstanding tuition fee debt. Please note that if your Student Visa expires before the Assessment Board has taken place, you must leave the UK, and you will not be eligible for the Graduate Route visa. Accordingly, if you are deemed as eligible for the Graduate Route visa, you will receive an email notification. For more information on the Graduate Visa Route, please click here.  

If you are awarded more than 28 days before the expected end date on your CAS, UKVI will shorten your visa. Please see more information about the wrap-up period below.  

A wrap-up period is additional time given at the end of your course granted on your Student Visa, allowing you to remain in the UK after your studies finish to prepare to leave, attend graduation, retake outstanding modules, or apply for another visa route. The length of your wrap-up period will be determined by your course duration, please see below. If your visa has been granted incorrectly or with the wrong wrap up period, you must inform us immediately by emailing Internationalcompliance@derby.ac.uk.

Length of course and length of stay allowed:

• 12 months or more - The full length of the course plus four months after the end of the course.  
• 6 months or more, but less than 12 months - The full length of the course plus two months after the end of the course.  
• Less than 6 months (which is not a pre-sessional course) - The full length of the course plus seven days after the end of the course.  
• Less than 6 months (which is a pre-sessional course) - The full length of the course plus one month after the end of the course.  

Students on a Student visa are restricted to the working hours permitted by their visa during the official term-time period. Those enrolled on degree-level programmes may work up to 20 hours per week, while students on below-degree level programmes may work up to 10 hours per week. Accordingly, you may work full-time during official holiday dates, which can be found on your Confirmation of Student Status letter in the documents tile via the UDO portal. Please note that these dates vary depending on your course, cannot be changed, and must be strictly followed. If you have a reading week or your classes finish early, you are still considered within term time and cannot work full time. For more information on working in the UK, including the type of work you can and cannot do, please click here.  

If you are a Post Graduate Research student, you will need to arrange your annual leave with your supervisors, recording the dates and approval via PhD manager.

Please note that your primary reason for being in the UK is to study, so you need to try and ensure you plan any travelling according to your official holiday period, which you can see by accessing your confirmation letter via the documents tile on your UDO portal. 

If you need to travel outside the UK due to a medical emergency that cannot be resolved in the UK, exceptional circumstances, immediate family bereavement, or legal or civic duty, you must request a travel letter. However, if you are required to travel outside of the UK as part of your study, then the travelling letter will be granted in line with the required period. 

All requests must be submitted via the travel authorisation letter request form and cannot be considered via email, phone or in person. Whilst the Student Hub liaises with the academic team, it is the Student Hub Officer’s decision whether a letter will be issued, so we strongly advise not to book any non-refundable tickets before approval. Accordingly, the Student Hub will consider the following:  

• Attendance and academic performance/ profile – A poor attendance record and/or academic profile/performance will likely negatively impact the outcome of the request. 

• Timetables sessions, exams and/or assessments – The Student Hub will contact the academic team, and your request may be rejected if important academic activities are taking place in your proposed travel request period.  

• Duration of Travel and Level of Study - During term time, travel is limited to 2 weeks for all students and 1 week for below-degree students. Requests exceeding these limits will only be considered under extenuating circumstances and will only be permitted once during the academic year. 

• The reason and evidence for travel – The Student Hub may ask that you provide evidence to support the validity of your request if you have not already done so.  

• Timing of the request – If a request is made too far in advance, the Student Hub will not be able to make suitable consideration or review your request in line with the requirements.  

• Visa compliance - If the length or timing of the travel will cause visa issues, or if the visa is set to expire close to the requested time, the Student Hub will not be able to honour the request. 

• Status on the Programme – If you are in your last semester of studies and have finished all your on-campus activities, the Student Hub will not be authorising any travel outside the UK. If the travel dates are after the official teaching and assessment period ends this means there are no more on-campus requirements to resume upon return. Similarly, if you decided to withdraw from your programme, or go on a Break In Learning (BIL), your request would be rejected as letters are only issued to active students.   

• Negative Service Indicator(s) - If you have any negative service indicators on your account (e.g., outstanding fees, negative student conduct, academic performance, and attendance) your request will likely be rejected.  

Please allow enough time between the submission of your travel request and the date you are due to travel. We normally advise a minimum of 5 working days to allow the Student Hub to review your request. Request outcomes are usually not subject to appeal, but if you wish to query an update/outcome please contact StudentHub@derby.ac.uk or visit the Student Hub in person. For more information, please click here.