If your study situation changes
If your academic circumstances change for any reason, it is important you let us know. We can guide you through how any changes to your academic circumstances may impact your visa.
How to make changes to your visa
If your academic circumstances change for any reason, it is important you let us know. This page guides you through how any changes to your academic circumstances may impact your visa.
We must report any significant changes to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) within 10 working days of a change taking place on your student record.
This includes (but is not limited to) if you are:
- Unable to enrol onto your course
- leaving or not progressing on your course
- repeating part of your course
- taking a break from your course
- changing courses
- completing part of your course elsewhere
- completing your course early
Depending on your situation, you may need to leave the UK or make changes to your visa to protect your immigration status.
For information on applying for a Graduate visa, please click here.
Not enrolling onto your course
-
You have not enrolled in time to start your course
Example scenarios
- You are a new student and have not arrived in the UK to start your course by the latest arrival date stated in your CAS.
What should you do? What happens next? What happens to my visa? You have missed too much of your course to be allowed to enrol.
Do not travel to the UK even if:
- Your Student visa has been granted
- You are still awaiting your application decision
You should contact the International Admissions Team regarding declining your offer or deferring to the next available in-take for your course.
If you have submitted your visa application and are still waiting for a decision, you will need to contact UKVI to withdraw your application.
Your entry onto your course will either be cancelled or deferred.
If you are deferring, the International Admissions Team will process a new offer for you to start your course at the next available in-take.
As you are not commencing with your course at this time, the Visa Compliance Team will be required to withdraw sponsorship of your visa.
Once sponsorship of your visa has been withdrawn, UKVI will curtail your visa, meaning that it will be cut short.
As such, your visa will no longer be valid, and if you have already travelled to the UK, you will typically have 60 days to make travel plans and return home.
-
You have not returned to continue your course
Example scenarios
- You are studying a 3-year Bachelor’s course and you have not completed online enrolment at the start of your 2nd or 3rd year.
What should you do? What happens next? What happens to my visa? Online enrolment is compulsory for all students and takes place at the beginning of each academic year.
By enrolling online, you are confirming your intention to continue with your course.
If you do not enrol online, then the University may assume you are not intending to return.
By not enrolling online, you risk being withdrawn from your course.
If this happens, then the Visa Compliance Team will be required to withdrawn sponsorship of your visa.
Once sponsorship of your visa has been withdrawn, UKVI will curtail your visa, meaning that it will be cut short.
As such, your visa will no longer be valid, and you will typically have 60 days to make travel plans and return home.
Leaving or not progressing on your course
-
You want to stop studying at Manchester Met
Example scenarios
- You enrolled at Manchester Met and later in the academic year you have decided to stop with the course. This could be because you are homesick and miss your family. You wish to return home.
- You passed the previous academic year but you have decided not to come back to the University. This may be because you decided to study elsewhere in the UK or take up employment at home.
What should you do? What happens next? What happens to my visa? You should discuss this with your Personal Tutor, Programme Leader or Supervisor before making the final decision.
You must then notify the University that you wish to leave your course by submitting the correct forms.
PhD and research students should contact the Graduate School.
When your course withdrawal request is approved, the Visa Compliance Team will contact you regarding your plans. It is important that you reply.
The Visa Compliance Team will withdraw sponsorship of your visa when you have left the course.
If you need to remain in the UK for a reason other than study, you may need to seek advice from an independent advisor.
Once sponsorship of your visa has been withdrawn, UKVI will curtail your visa, meaning that it will be cut short.
As such, your visa will no longer be valid, and you will typically have 60 days to make travel plans and return home.
-
You have been withdrawn from your course
Example scenarios
- You have failed your course, have no further resit or repeat opportunities, and are not allowed to continue with your course.
- You have consistently demonstrated an unacceptable level of engagement on your course and/or have missed examinations.
What should you do? What happens next? What happens to my visa? If you plan to return home, please send a copy of your flight confirmation to the Visa Compliance team by email.
If you decide to submit an academic appeal, please send the receipt of your appeal by email to the Visa Compliance team. You may be required to attend meetings with the team to discuss your case.
The Visa Compliance Team will be informed of your withdrawal from your course. They will then contact you regarding your plans. It is important that you reply.
The Visa Compliance Team will withdraw sponsorship of your visa when you have left the course.
If you need to remain in the UK for a reason other than study, you may need to seek advice from an independent advisor.
Once sponsorship of your visa has been withdrawn, UKVI will curtail your visa, meaning that it will be cut short.
As such, your visa will no longer be valid, and you will typically have 60 days to make travel plans and return home.
Repeating part of your course
-
You have not passed the year and must repeat failed units with attendance
Example scenarios
- You failed some units and must repeat these units in order to progress on your course. You must stay in the UK and attend classes.
What should you do? What happens next? What happens to my visa? Check carefully which units you need to repeat. If your repeated modules only take place in one semester, you must contact the Visa Compliance Team.
Submit all coursework and attend any classes on your timetable.
You will have to pay the full fee for each unit and this will be your final chance to pass each unit.
As you need additional time in the UK to complete your course, you will need to extend your visa before it expires.
If your course requires an ATAS certificate, you will need a new certificate issued when you extend your visa.
In most instances your visa will remain valid.
You can stay in the UK if you are required to attend classes and as long as we can record evidence of your engagement.
If your repeated units take place in one semester only, you cannot remain on your current visa if there is a gap in your studies of more than 60 term-time days. You will need to return home and apply for a new visa to come back to the UK later when your next unit starts.
-
You have not passed the year and must repeat failed units without attendance
Example scenarios
- You failed some units and must repeat these without attendance to progress. You do not need to attend classes. You only need to submit coursework online, or resit exams the following academic year.
What should you do? What happens next? What happens to my visa? Check carefully which units you need to repeat.
You do not need to attend classes, you can submit coursework online. You will still have access to online resources such as Moodle during your repeat year.
You will need to plan to return home, or switch to another immigration category.
The Visa Compliance Team will be informed that you are repeating without attendance. They will then contact you regarding your plans. It is important that you reply.
The Visa Compliance Team will withdraw sponsorship of your visa.
If you need to remain in the UK for a reason other than study, you may need to seek advice from an independent advisor.
If your visa is due to expire soon, you will not be contacted and will be allowed to remain in the UK until your visa expires. Once sponsorship of your visa has been withdrawn, UKVI will curtail your visa, meaning that it will be cut short.
As such, your visa will no longer be valid, and you will typically have 60 days to make travel plans and return home.
If you need to return to the UK to complete the rest of your course, you can apply for a new visa to enter the UK later when you have passed and progressed.
If your visa is due to expire soon, it will not be affected. However, you will not be allowed to extend your visa whilst you are repeating without attendance.
If you would like to repeat with attendance, you should contact the Assessments team.
Taking a break in study
-
You want to suspend your studies either for one term or a full academic year
Example scenarios
- You enrolled at Manchester Met and need to take a break because you have fallen ill and need long-term medical care.
- You enrolled at Manchester Met and need to take a break a full academic year because you need to complete military service back home.
What should I do? What happens next? What happens to my visa? You should discuss this with your Personal Tutor, Programme Leader or Supervisor before making the final decision.
You must then notify the University that you wish to leave your course by submitting a suspension request form.
PhD students should contact the Graduate School.
When your suspension request is approved, the Visa Compliance Team will contact you regarding your plans to return home or for information about your new place of study. It is important that you reply.
The Visa Compliance Team will withdraw sponsorship of your visa because you do not need to attend classes while you are taking a break from your course.
You will not have access to online resources like Moodle during the period of suspension.
If you need to remain in the UK for a reason other than study, you may need to seek advice from an independent advisor.
Once sponsorship of your visa has been withdrawn, UKVI will curtail your visa, meaning that it will be cut short.
As such, your visa will no longer be valid, and you will typically have 60 days to make travel plans and return home.
You should plan to return home and apply for a new visa to enter the UK later when you are due to recommence your course.
Changing courses
-
You are transferring to a course at a lower level than your current course
Example scenarios
- You enrolled for a 4-year PhD course and would like to transfer to MPhil or MRes.
What I should do? What happens next? What happens to my visa? If you would like to transfer courses after you have enrolled, you must consult your Personal Tutor, Supervisor, or Programme Leader to find out if the transfer is possible.
You must then notify the University that you wish to transfer your course by submitting a transfer request form.
PhD students should contact the Graduate School.
You must also email for immigration advice.
You can only transfer to a lower-level qualification by applying for, and receiving, a new visa for the new course.
This rule applies even if you’re required to change course because of the University’s academic or research regulations.
You will not be able to apply for your new visa from inside the UK. You will need to travel home to make your visa application.
You may have a deadline to enrol for your new course. If you do not meet that deadline, we may need to withdraw sponsorship of your visa.
You may wish to complete the remainder of the lower-level course from home. If you choose to do this, we may have to withdraw sponsorship of your visa.
Once sponsorship of your visa has been withdrawn, UKVI will curtail your visa, meaning that it will be cut short.
As such, your visa will no longer be valid, and you will typically have 60 days to make travel plans and return home.
When the transfer is processed, you will need to apply for a new CAS for a new visa to enter the UK to continue with your transferred course.
-
You want to transfer to a course at the same level as your current course which is the same length and in the same subject area
Example scenarios
You want to transfer from BA Business Management to BA International Business Management.
What should I do? What happens next? What happens to my visa? If you would like to transfer courses after you have already enrolled, you must consult your Personal Tutor, Supervisor or Programme Leader to find out if the transfer is possible.
You must then notify the University that you wish to transfer your course by submitting a transfer request form.
You must also email for immigration advice. The team will check that your old course and new course are related, and will compare the course end dates.
When your transfer request is approved, the Visa Compliance Team will report the change of course to UKVI. Your visa will remain valid.
-
You want to transfer to a course at the same level as your current course but the length and/or subject area is different
Example scenarios:
The course you wish to transfer to will finish later than your current course.
For example, you complete Year 1 of a 3-year course, and want to transfer to start a new course from the beginning
The course you wish to transfer to is the same length, but the subject area is different to your current course
For example, you want to transfer from BA Business Management to BSc Psychology
What should I do? What happens next? What happens to my visa? If you would like to transfer courses after you have enrolled, you must consult your Personal Tutor, Supervisor or Programme Leader to find out if the transfer is possible.
You must then notify the University that you wish to transfer your course by submitting a transfer request form.
You must also email for immigration advice. The team will check that your old course and new course are related, and when the new course will finish.
If the new course cannot be completed within the validity period of your current visa, or if the subject area differs to the subject area of your current course, you must apply for and receive a new visa before you can start your new course.
If the subject area is different then you may need to provide a new personal statement to the Visa Compliance Team before your transfer can be approved.
You will not be able to apply for your new visa from inside the UK. You will need to travel home to make your visa application.
Once sponsorship of your visa has been withdrawn, UKVI will curtail your visa, meaning that it will be cut short.
As such, your visa will no longer be valid, and you will typically have 60 days to make travel plans and return home.
When the transfer is processed, you will need to apply for a new CAS for a new visa to enter the UK to continue with your transferred course.
Completing part of your course elsewhere
-
You have opted to complete a placement or study abroad, not detailed on your CAS
Example scenarios
You are studying a 3-year Bachelor’s course, and wish to switch to the 4-year version with placement year.
You are a studying a 1-year Master’s course, and wish to switch to the 2-year version with internship.
You are studying a 3-year Bachelor’s course, and would like to undertake a period of study abroad.
What should I do? What happens next? What happens to my visa? If you need to make a visa application because your current visa does not cover the new course length, you will be able to make an application from within the UK. You must:
- Apply before your current visa expires; and
- Apply before or after your placement or study abroad year finishes - not during
The percentage of work being undertaken must not be more than 50% of the total duration of the course unless there is a statutory requirement for it to be more - for example, if you are completing a PGCE.
If you take an optional placement year or a study abroad year that was not originally included on your CAS, the University will report the location and duration of the work placement to UKVI so that they know your whereabouts. Your visa will remain valid because you are actively engaging in an activity that is required as a part of your course.
-
Finishing your course or completing research abroad
Example scenarios
You are a postgraduate student doing your dissertation or project, and you have agreed with your academic supervisor to write up and submit from home.
You are a research student and have agreed with your primary supervisor to conduct a period of data collection abroad.
What should I do? What happens next? What happens to my visa? You must submit a ‘change of study address’ form, and forward confirmation from your supervisor to the Visa Compliance Team that they agree to your time abroad and the arrangements for you to maintain contact.
Once the Visa Compliance Team has received your form submission, your change of study address will be reported to UKVI.
UKVI has strict rules on remote study. We may need to withdraw sponsorship of your Student Visa if you are not returning to the UK.
Your visa will remain valid if you maintain contact and continue to engage on your course.
Completing your course early
-
You are unable to, or have decided not to, complete the placement year detailed on your CAS
Example scenarios:
You are studying a 4-year Bachelor’s course including placement year, and switch to the 3-year version without placement year
You are a studying a 2-year Master’s course with internship, and switch to the 1-year version without internship
What should I do? What happens next? What happens to my visa? You must consult your Personal Tutor, Supervisor, or Programme Leader.
You can also email for immigration advice.
When the transfer has been confirmed, the Visa Compliance Team will report the change to UKVI.
Once you have completed your course and have been awarded, the Visa Compliance Team will withdraw sponsorship of your visa as your course has ended earlier than originally stated in your CAS.
Your visa will remain valid, but not for the full duration.
UKVI advise that they will curtail (shorten) your visa based on your early award date. Your visa should be shortened to 4 months after your award date.
Once you have left the UK, you cannot return on the same visa.
-
You complete your course earlier than stated in your CAS
Example scenarios:
- You are a PhD student. Your CAS stated your course is 4 years long. You completed your PhD in 3 years.
What should I do? What happens next? What happens to my visa? No action is required; however, you may wish to email for immigration advice. Once you have completed your course and have been awarded, the Visa Compliance Team will be informed by the Graduate School.
If your award date is two weeks or more before your course end date as stated in your CAS, the Visa Compliance Team will withdraw sponsorship of your visa as your course has ended early.
Your visa will remain valid, but not for the full duration.
UKVI advise that they will curtail (shorten) your visa based on your early award date. Your visa should be shortened to 4 months after your award date.
Once you have left the UK, you cannot return on the same visa.
Sponsorship withdrawal
Where the University has reported a change in student status to UKVI as a sponsorship withdrawal, you will no longer have permission to stay in the UK. UKVI will write to you and tell you that they have cancelled your Student Visa.Contact the international compliance team
For more information and advice, you can email the relevant team below, or call 0161 247 1022 and select option three.
Please provide your student ID number and as much information as possible relating to your enquiry when you contact us.
Email Immigration@mmu.ac.uk about:
- extending immigration permission to enter/remain in the UK
- whether a change in circumstances will affect your Student Visa
- biometric residence permit (BRP) collections or corrections
Email VisaCompliance@mmu.ac.uk about:
- right-to-study checks
- applying for a new CAS to complete an existing course
- sponsorship withdrawals
Email Tier4Attendance@mmu.ac.uk about:
- engaging on your course
