Student Route (EU, EEA and Swiss nationals)

When

Once you're ready and meet the student visa requirements, you can submit an application for Entry Clearance under the Student Route six months before the start of your course. You'll need to have an offer of place from Bath Spa University and a Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) before you can apply for the student visa.

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) aim to make decisions on visa applications within three weeks. The exact time can vary, especially during the peak student visa application period between July and September. It's therefore advised that you apply as soon as you're able to.

Where

You should apply for your student visa in your country of nationality or country of residence.

How

Start the application online and use the Home Office UK Immigration: ID Check App to verify your identity. You can then finish your application online and pay the required fees. These include the student visa fee (£363) and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).

The amount you need to pay for the IHS will depend on the length of immigration permission you can expect to be granted for your course. You can use the Home Office IHS calculator to see how much you'll be charged. Paying this fee at the time of application is compulsory and grants you access to the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK for the duration of your visa.

We recommend that you watch the Home Office's video with top tips for using the UK Immigration ID Check app.

You can use the app on:

• iPhone 7 or newer models
• Android phones with near-field communication (NFC)

Check the phone's settings to see if it has NFC. Your phone will have NFC if you can use it to make contactless payments.

If you have a biometric chip in your passport but the app doesn't work on your phone, you could ask a family member or friend to use their phone. You only need to use the app to verify your ID. No information is stored on the app and you can delete it from the phone after you've completed this step.

If you don't have a biometric chip in your passport, you'll be able to continue the online student visa application but instead of using the app to verify your identity, you'll need to book an appointment at a visa application centre in the country you're applying from. You'll have your photo and fingerprints taken and the visa processing will begin after the appointment.

As an EU, EEA or Swiss national, you qualify for differentiation arrangements when you apply for your visa. This means you don't need to provide documents to support the application except for your passport, which will be used to verify your identity via the app.

Please note that while you're excused from submitting documents to prove that you meet the requirements below, you still need to meet them. The Home Office can ask for these documents at any time. 

Previous qualification evidence

You must meet the academic entry requirements for your course. Your CAS will state any qualifications used as part of the assessment for admission to your course and this satisfies the requirement. As the University is a Higher Education Provider (HEP) and you'll be studying at degree level, you're not required to provide evidence of your qualifications.

English language ability

No evidence of English language ability needs to be submitted as part of the visa application, even if this was a condition of your offer to study at Bath Spa. Your CAS will confirm that the University, as a HEP, has assessed your English language ability and it's at the required level.

Financial requirements

You're not required to provide any financial evidence to support your student visa application. However, you're expected to have sufficient funds to cover your course fees as stated in your CAS, plus £1023 in living costs for each month of your course up to a maximum of nine months (this amount is for students living outside of London).

Under 18s

If you're under 18 years old at the time of your visa application, you'll need to provide proof of parental consent and proof of relationship (a birth certificate or equivalent). You can upload these as supporting documents to your application.

TB Screening

If you've only lived within the EU, EEA or Switzerland in the last six months, you will not need to have a Tuberculosis (TB) test as part of your student visa application.

If you're coming to the UK for more than six months and have lived for at least six months in one of the countries specified by UKVI on their website in the period prior to making your application, you'll be required to provide a TB clearance certificate with your application.

You normally need to be tested at a clinic that has been approved by UKVI. The test will involve having a chest x-ray and, if clear, you'll be given a certificate that is valid for six months and must be uploaded as a supporting document to your visa application.

If you used the UK Immigration: ID check app to verify your identity in your application, you'll receive your student visa in the form of an online 'digital status', which will be linked to the biometric chip in your passport. Unlike students who are from countries outside Europe, you will not receive a visa sticker in your passport or a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). 

When your visa is approved you'll receive an email from the Home Office confirming the visa approval and the conditions that apply, including the start date of the student visa. You need to check that all your details on this email are correct. Please send a copy of your decision email to both:

• immigrationadvice@bathspa.ac.uk
• internationaladmissions@bathspa.ac.uk.

If you did not use the app you will not receive digital status.

Once in the UK you can prove your immigration status digitally using the Government's View and Prove service.

This is something you'll need to do when enrolling at Bath Spa to prove your right to study. 

You can also use this to:

• View your eVisa and check what rights you have in the UK
• Prove your status to others, such as employers and landlords by generating a ‘share code’ which gives them time limited access to relevant data
• Update your passport details and email address (this will be important when travelling in and out of the UK).

• Sign in to the View and Prove service and then click ‘prove your status’.
• Choose the reason why you're sharing your information. This is so that the person or organisation checking your status sees the correct information. 
• You'll then see a preview of your status information that will be shared.
• Click 'create share code’. You'll be presented with a share code which will be valid for 30 days.
• The share code can be used as many times as needed within the 30 days; however, each share code is unique – every time you generate a share code through the View and Prove service it will be new. Generating a new share code will not invalidate any existing valid codes. Each share code can only be used for the purpose requested.
• At the end of the 30 days, your code will no longer be valid, and the person checking your immigration status will no longer be able to access your information unless you provide them with another code.

You'll need to provide your share code, along with your date of birth, to the person or organisation with whom you wish to share your information.

You can choose how to share your share code, for example by email within the service, printing the screen, writing down the code or telling them the code.

The person checking your status will need to use the appropriate checking service on the UK government website:

• Employers: View a job applicant’s right to work details
• Landlords and letting agents in England: View a tenant’s right to rent in England
• For any other check (including staff at Bath Spa checking your right to study): Check someone’s immigration status

If you did not use the app to verify your identity and instead attended an appointment at a Visa Application Centre, you'll receive your decision letter, documents and passport by post or you'll be instructed to collect them from the Visa Application Centre via email or text message.

Decision letter

The decision letter is very important. You'll need to bring this with you when you travel to the UK. 

Entry clearance vignette

If your student visa application is successful, you'll receive an entry clearance vignette. This is a sticker placed in your passport that will enable you to enter the UK once. It's normally issued for a 30 day period but owing to circumstances around the coronavirus outbreak, the Home Office is currently issuing the vignette for a period of 90 days. Once you arrive in Bath, you'll need to collect a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) and this will be your visa that you can use to reenter the UK if you travel abroad. 

Please send a copy of your entry clearance vignette and your decision letter in an email to both:

• immigrationadvice@bathspa.ac.uk
• internationaladmissions@bathspa.ac.uk.

Check that the information on the entry clearance vignette and decision letter is correct. If you identify any errors, contact the Visa Application Centre before you travel. They will then issue instructions on how to correct the error.

The entry clearance vignette will be valid:

• From seven days before your planned date of travel to the UK, as stated in your visa application form*; or
• From the date of issue if granted after the intended date of travel as stated on the visa application form.

*The earliest the entry clearance vignette can be valid is one month prior to the start date of your course.