Visa information

Returning on a Student visa

If your Student visa is still valid you should be able to use it to return to the UK and attend your graduation ceremony, but the University cannot guarantee your entry will be successful.

You will need to be prepared to evidence at the UK border why you are returning to the UK and that before your Student visa expires you will either leave the UK, or apply for a different UK visa (eg Graduate visa) to remain. Examples of useful evidence could be:

• Proof of return flight that is before the expiry date of your visa
• Proof of a reason to leave the UK (eg work or further study)
• Graduation visa letter (order from e:Vision)
• Confirmation of award letter (order from e:Vision) and the email from the University's Visa Compliance team saying your successful completion has been reported to UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) - to show that you should be eligible for the Graduate visa

Overstaying a visa is a criminal offence and can affect your ability to be granted a UK visa in the future. If you want to return to the UK and stay longer than your Student visa expiry date, without the intention of applying for another visa from within the UK, you can consider applying for a Visitor visa instead but you can only apply for this from outside the UK.

Visitor visa

If you, or friends and family, are attending a ceremony and do not hold UK immigration permission, you can follow the Visitor visa route. Not all nationalities need to apply for a visa in advance, check if you need a UK visa or see the University's Visitor visa information for guidance.

You will need to be prepared to evidence at the UK border why you are coming to the UK and provide supporting documentation for your Visitor visa application. Examples of useful evidence could be:

• Proof of return flight that is before the expiry date of your visa
• Proof of a reason to leave the UK (eg work or further study)
• Graduation visa letter (order from e:Vision)
• Confirmation of award letter (order from e:Vision)

If you are granted a Visitor visa while still holding another visa, such as the Student visa, the new visa will override and invalidate the previous visa.

If you are attending Graduation in July 2024, and your Student visa expires before the Graduation ceremony, you will need to leave the UK and return for Graduation on a Standard Visitor visa. You must leave the UK before your Student visa expires as to stay after expiry can have serious consequences. Please see the University's Visitor visa information for more details.

Visa advice

The University’s International Student Support Team can offer further immigration advice if needed through the International Student Support self-referral form.