Immigration-related problems

Visa application issues

Visa processing delays

Processing times may vary depending on when and where you apply for your visa but for standard visa applications UKVI’s published processing times are three weeks for applications outside the UK and eight weeks within the UK. More information regarding student visas.

However, please be aware that the start date for the calculation of this processing time is not the date you make your visa application but the date you submit your biometric information. How and where you do this will depend on whether you made your application from within the UK, (using the UKVI IDV app or at a Sopra Steria appointment) or outside the UK, (at a visa application centre or using the UKVI IDV app).

Priority visa applications

You may be able to make a priority visa application, but do check the services offered before you make your application as you may not be able to change or upgrade your chosen visa service once you have applied for your visa:

• Overseas – Information about centres offering this service for overseas applications.
• Within the UK – Applications for a Student Route visa in the UK can be made by priority or super priority service for an additional fee. Find out more about the costs of making these applications and the proposed decision times.

If you have been waiting for your visa beyond the published deadline and you need the decision urgently, get in touch with our International Student Advice Service.

Visa refusal

If your application is refused, you will be sent a letter explaining the reasons why. If you get a visa refusal, please send a copy of the refusal letter to our International Student Advisers at visas@brighton.ac.uk as soon as possible so we can advise you on your options.

Travelling to the UK

Travelling before your studies

• You must wait until your Student Route Visa vignette is issued and placed in your passport, or until your digital status is issued, before you travel to the UK.
• You must also not travel to the UK before the visa start date which is on your visa vignette (the sticker in your passport) or on your digital status if you will not be receiving a visa vignette. 

This is because the act of entering the UK on a valid Student Route visa activates that visa and you are then permitted to study in the UK. If you travel before you have your visa or before your visa is valid you may be refused entry or given some form of limited entry (depending on your nationality). In that case, you will have to leave the UK and return to activate your visa before you can start your studies with us.

Biometric Residence Permits (BRP) and digital status

Will I get a BRP?

You will not get a BRP if:

• you use the UK Immigration: ID Check app to prove your identity when you make a Student Route visa application to come to or to stay in the UK, and
• you are an EEA national whose passport has a biometric chip applying from their home country or in the UK.

In this case, once your visa has been decided, you will hold digital status and you can prove your visa status by creating a share code.

For any other national, if you are applying to extend your visa in the UK, used the app and have provided biometrics to the Home Office as part of a previous visa application, you may receive both a BRP card and an e-visa. This will depend on your nationality:

• Non-visa nationals will normally receive an e-visa only. 
• Visa nationals will normally receive both. 

Check the visa national list to see which category you will fall under, if your country is not on this list you are classified as a non-visa national. 

BRP collection for applications made outside of the UK

If you applied for a Student Route visa from outside of the UK and have been told to collect your BRP on arrival, you are usually required to collect this within 10 days of arriving in the UK.

Your BRP will usually already be at the Post Office named on your visa decision letter. You should attend that Post Office to collect the BRP. Bring your passport or travel document with your vignette sticker in when you collect your BRP.

A person under 18 cannot collect their own BRP and will need to nominate someone to collect it for them. If this is an issue for you please contact our International Student Advice team using the visa enquiry form. 

If your BRP is not at the Post Office or you have issues collecting it, you can report a problem with collecting your BRP on the government website. 

BRP delivery for applications made in the UK

If you applied for your most recent visa in the UK, your new BRP will usually arrive within 10 working days of getting your decision letter from the Home Office saying that you can remain in the UK.

It will be delivered to the address you used in your visa application, and you will receive an email or text from the delivery company, TNT, advising the delivery date. You can contact them to change the date if this isn’t convenient. If you have moved you will need to tell the Home Office your address has changed.

BRP not received? 

If you have not received your BRP after 10 working days, you will need to take further action. Follow the steps on the gov.uk website under the section if your BRP has not arrived within 10 working days. 

Issues with BRP or digital status

Your BRP expires on 31 December 2024

You do not need to tell UKVI if your BRP expires on 31 December 2024 but your immigration application decision allows you to stay longer. The reason your BRP expires on this date is because you will not need a BRP from 1 January 2025 as you will be able to prove your immigration status online after that date. This is in line with the UK government’s planned move away from BRPs to digital status.

UKVI has now invited all BRP holders to register for their online status and you should do this as soon as possible. You should follow the instructions on the government website.

Mistakes on your BRP/digital status

It is important that you check your new BRP/digital status document carefully for mistakes. This is because if you delay you could incur a charge if you subsequently need to change it.

Issues with the length of your visa

It is particularly important that any error in the length of leave you have been granted is corrected immediately as you may encounter problems at the end of your study if, for example, you wish to apply for a Graduate Route visa.

How much leave should I have?

The UKCISA website explains that the length of leave you should have depends on the length of the course you are studying. Your visa should be for the full length of the course plus:

Other issues that need to be corrected

Other issues that will need to be corrected include an incorrect spelling of your name, date of birth or working condition mistakes.

How do I correct a mistake on my BRP?

How do I correct a mistake on my digital status?

You need to check your digital status is correct. UKVI has asked universities to contact them directly with any errors. Therefore if you find a mistake on your digital status, please email us at visas@brighton.ac.uk and we will report it for you. When emailing, we will need you to: 

• Send us a copy of your digital status report
• Send us a copy of your visa application form
• Include your full name, date of birth and CAS number in the email.

Lost BRPs

If your visa is in the form of a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) and has been lost or stolen, you will need to:

• Contact the Home Office to report the loss or theft. The Home Office will contact you within one working day to acknowledge the report.
• Your BRP will then be cancelled. You will no longer be able to use it, even if you subsequently find it. You should destroy it by cutting it in to pieces, ensuring you cut through the name, the Royal Coat of Arms and the gold biometric chip.

The next steps you will need to take will depend on whether your BRP was lost/stolen within the UK or outside the UK.

Within the UK

If your BRP is lost or stolen while you are in the UK, you do not need to apply for a replacement. You will need to register for and rely on digital status to prove your right to be in the UK. View the UKVI information. 

E-visas will take over from biometric residence permits (BRPs) as proof of immigration status from 1 January 2025. It has not been confirmed by UKVI what interim arrangement will be in place for students in this situation who no longer have a physical BRP card and who need to leave and re-enter the UK between now and 31 December 2024.

Please email visas@brighton.ac.uk as soon as possible if you lose your BRP and will need to re-enter the UK before 1 January 2025, so we can raise your case with UKVI individually. 

Outside of the UK

You must apply for a replacement BRP visa. The replacement BRP visa will let you re-enter the UK only once and costs £154. 

When you apply you'll need to:

• Choose the country that you'll provide your biometrics (fingerprints and photo) in
• Confirm that you can travel to a visa application centre

You do not need a new CAS number to apply.

Once you have returned to the UK please ensure you have access to an e-visa, as this is the way you will subsequently prove your immigration status. You can find out how to do this on the government website.

Issues with passports

Lost passports

If your passport is lost or stolen, you must:

• report the loss or theft to the police and obtain a crime reference number/ letter from them
• apply for a new passport through your country’s Embassy or High Commission
• once you have your new passport you should report the new details to UKVI.

In addition, you must send a scan of the new passport photo page to our Visa Compliance team at casenquiries@brighton.ac.uk.

If you have lost a passport that contains a visa that covers the whole period of your stay, or it has been stolen, the action you must take depends on whether you are in the UK or overseas.

If you are in the UK you must:

• apply for a new passport at your country's embassy, consulate or high commission
• transfer your visa to a BRP card. Note that the Transfer Of Conditions (TOC) can take around eight weeks.

If you are outside the UK you must:

• report the loss or theft of your passport to the police and obtain a police report
• apply for a replacement or temporary passport at the nearest embassy for your country
• apply for a Student visa online and pay the full fee. You do not need to request a new CAS from your educational institution. If you are asked for a CAS number, simply give your previous one. When you are asked to select a visa type, you should choose Other > Others > Vignette Transfer.

You can find more information and guidance on the UK government's website.

Travelling after your course has ended

Your visa allows you to remain in the UK for a period after your studies. If you wish to leave and return to the UK within that period UK Visas and Immigration have advised us that you are usually entitled to leave and return to the UK as often as required. 

However, please be aware that you could be questioned by Border Force Officials on returning to the UK in this period. This is because your visa was granted for you to study in the UK, but your records will show that the course you were studying has finished. These checks are to confirm your reasons for re-entering now that you are not studying. Often students are returning for graduation, to collect property or to make a new visa application for further study (or to apply to the Graduate Route). Whatever your reason for returning we suggest you keep relevant proof in your hand luggage to confirm your situation if you are asked. In most cases, people do not encounter significant problems or even further questions upon arrival.

There are a few situations where you may not be able to travel back to the UK on your current visa after your course has ended:

• Where your current visa was issued in the UK for a period of less than six months
• Your leave has been curtailed by the university eg because you completed your course early

If you think either of these could apply to you, please email us on visas@brighton.ac.uk for advice.