Issues affecting your visa
Information for international students that need support to solve unexpected issues.
eVisa issues
The UK has now moved to a digital immigration system.
This means that all Student visa holders should have access to an eVisa, and you must use a share code to prove your immigration status in the UK.
If you believe there is an error on your eVisa, or if you can't use it to generate a share code, you can report the error on this page.
Please contact us on the details at the bottom of this page if you would like assistance completing the form.
You can update your UKVI account here.
Use this link if you've changed your mobile phone number, e-mail address, postal address, name, or passport. You can also correct your date of birth, add a nationality, or update your photo.
If you can longer access your UKVI account, please visit this gov.uk page for information on how to recover it.
Passport issues
If you've received a new passport since your Student visa was granted then you'll need to update your UKVI account with your new identity document.
It's vital that you do this before you travel, as if you don't then your eVisa will not be linked to your passport.
If your passport has been lost or stolen, you should report this to the police and then apply for a replacement passport as soon as possible.
You should contact your country’s embassy for details of how to apply for your new passport.
Study related issues that affect your visa
If you need to repeat modules or complete reassessments you may need to extend your Student visa. The Immigration Advice Service will contact you by e-mail within two weeks of your results being officially released to outline your options and next steps.
If you haven't heard from us within two weeks of your results being released please do feel free to contact us directly.
If your results mean that there will be a period of 60 days or longer where you are no longer studying then we will need to withdraw sponsorship from your Student visa, and UKVI will take action to curtail (shorten) your current visa.
You'll be given 60 days to either leave the UK or switch into a different immigration category. You'll then need to apply for a new Student visa, if needed, when you resume your studies.
If you're a Student visa holder and complete your course early, intercalate, withdraw or are excluded from your course, then we'll need to report this to the Home Office.
This will result in your sponsorship being withdrawn, and you'll have to leave the UK within 60 days unless you apply for a new visa to stay in the UK.
If you're outside the UK and receive notification your visa has been curtailed, you should not attempt to re-enter the UK as you are likely to be refused entry at the border.
If you've chosen to only withdraw from your course temporarily, you are advised to leave the UK within 60 days and then reapply for a Student visa when you're ready to return and resume studying.
As a Student visa holder, your visa is tied specifically to Bath Spa University and the course for which your CAS was assigned.
The circumstances in which you're able to change your course and remain in the UK on your current visa are extremely limited and you must consult with the Immigration Advice Service for guidance prior to submitting any request to change your course.
In many cases, if you wish to change your course, you'll need to leave the UK and apply for a new visa from overseas.
Finishing your studies
If you complete your studies more than one month earlier than the course end date on your original CAS letter, the Immigration Compliance team will need to inform the Home Office of your early course completion. This is often the case for students studying for a PhD or MPhil, as well as when students have removed a Professional Placement Year (PPY) from their course.
Depending on the amount of time left on your current visa, the Home Office may then decide to cut your visa short. They'll usually cut the visa short to the new course end date plus the appropriate wrap up time you would expect at the end of your course.
Once an early completion or withdrawal report has been made online to the Home Office you cannot travel back to the UK on the same visa, so it's important you time any future travel commitments carefully.
Before your current visa expires, you must arrange to leave the UK or make an application to extend your stay.
If you apply to extend your stay before your visa expires, then you'll be making an ‘in-time application’. If your current visa expires before a decision is made on your in-time visa application, you'll be protected during this time by section 3C leave.
If you remain in the UK after your visa has expired, you may be considered an overstayer. It's your responsibility to monitor your visa expiry date and to leave the country or to have submitted an in-time application before this date.
Overstaying is a criminal offence and will make it harder for you to be granted visas to the UK in the future.
Contact us
You can contact the Immigration Advice Service in any of the following ways:
- Call: +44 (0)1225 875645
- Email: immigrationadvice@bathspa.ac.uk
- Join one of our online drop-in sessions
- Meet us in person on campus on Tuesdays. These sessions are run by the Immigration Advice Service and Immigration Compliance Team.