Student route: Your outcome

If you are going to be a new student at Essex, let us know your visa outcome on CAS Shield. Doing this lets us know your application has been successful and ensures we are expecting you to join us

If you are a continuing student, you should let us know your application outcome by emailing international@essex.ac.uk a copy of your UKVI decision letter and digital share code.

Once you receive your visa decision, access your eVisa and check it carefully.

What to Check:

• Personal details: these should match your passport
• Sponsor Licence Number (SLN): this should be THHCP1YV6 for study at the University of Essex
• Visa expiry date: this should be based on your course length:
  • Over 12 months: course end date shown on your CAS plus 4 months
  • 6–12 months: course end date shown on your CAS plus 2 months
  • Under 6 months: course end date shown on your CAS plus 7 days
  • Pre-sessional: course end date shown on your CAS plus 1 month 

• Immigration conditions: 
  • Degree level students can work up to a maximum of 20 hours per week during term time.
  • All students will have ‘no recourse to public funds’ (no access to state benefits or housing)

If you identify any errors with your eVisa – report the error to UKVI and seek a correction before travel.

Make sure that:

• Your eVisa shows the correct details - you can view your eVisa to check
• Your UKVI account has your most recent passport and personal details – you can update your UKVI account as needed
• You get a share code – your carrier or a border official may ask for this
• Your details exactly match the passenger information you give to your carrier

If you cannot view your eVisa, check that you have finished setting up your UKVI account. You can recover your UKVI account if you’ve lost access to this, report an error with your eVisa including technical issues in viewing your eVisa or generating a share code, or contact UKVI online for further support as needed

You must not attempt to enter the UK before the ‘valid from’ date as shown on your Student eVisa. The date your Student permission starts can be up to 1 month before your course start date as shown on your CAS, depending on your course, when you applied and what travel information you included when submitting your application. The Immigration Rules: Appendix Student include details of when your immigration permission should start.

Prepare for your travel and arrival at the UK Border. Read our Coming to the UK information and follow links to the Home Office and UKCISA guidance.

Once you have your Student visa, you should make arrangements to be able to arrive, register and begin attending classes from the start of term where possible.

If you are unable to arrive on campus by the start of term, then you must ensure you arrive and complete in person registration by the latest accept date given on your CAS. You can check this date on our Registration webpages.

You will not be able to complete registration on your course until your in-person Right to Study check has been completed at your campus, even if you have completed the online element of the registration process. 

If you have not registered and are not able to arrive by the Latest Accept Date shown on your CAS, do not travel to the UK. It is likely to be too late for you to start or continue your course this year and if that is the case your student permission will be cancelled.

• For students starting a new course who won’t be able to arrive by the Latest Accept Date shown on your CAS, please email Admissions at visaquery@essex.ac.uk
• For students continuing their current course who won’t be able to arrive by the Latest Accept Date shown on your CAS, please contact the International Services Team

If you are starting a new course with us but have changed your mind and want to study a different Essex course to the one stated on your CAS or, have decided to study at a different institution, do not travel to the UK. 

Contact Admissions at visaquery@essex.ac.uk immediately to find out what you need to do.

If you have decided to study at a different institution you will need to contact that institution for urgent advice and guidance. Your visa issued for Essex will not be valid for study at another location.

If your application has been refused, the University will need to check the details on your UKVI/Home Office decision notification and advise whether you would be eligible for immigration sponsorship should you wish to apply again.

• If you have applied for a new course at Essex: upload a copy of all pages of your decision notification to CAS Shield.
• If you are a continuing student and/or have already started your course: email a scanned copy of all pages of the decision notification to our International Services team at international@essex.ac.uk

Your CAS cannot be used again to make a new Student visa application. Do not attempt to do so as your application will be refused again.

• If you have been refused on financial grounds and wish to be considered for a new CAS, you will need to send us documents that show you are able to meet the financial requirements for a successful application.
• If you have been refused on the grounds of credibility, it is highly unlikely that we be able to issue you with a new CAS unless your visa decision is overturned via Administrative Review.

Read the Administrative Review section below to find out more.

A visa application rejected as invalid means it was not considered because it failed to meet initial eligibility requirements, such as paying the correct fee or providing all necessary information/evidence.

If your application has been rejected and you are:

• Starting a new Essex course: upload a copy of all pages of your decision notification to CAS Shield.
• Continuing the same Essex course: send the International Services team a scanned copy of all pages of the UKVI outcome notification by emailing international@essex.ac.uk

If you believe a mistake has been made, you should submit a request for Administrative Review by the deadline given in your outcome notification and let us know when you email us. Read the Administrative Review section below to find out more.

If your Student visa application is refused, you may be able to request an administrative review if:

• You applied outside the UK, or
• You applied inside the UK before your previous visa expired

If you believe the Home Office made a mistake, submit your review by the deadline stated in your decision letter. This is the only way to challenge an incorrect decision.

Let us know if you submit a review and send us evidence that you have done so:

• Starting a new Essex course: provide details and upload evidence to CAS Shield
• Continuing the same Essex course: send to our International Services team at international@essex.ac.uk

If you apply for a new visa before your review is decided, the review will be automatically withdrawn.

You cannot request a review if:

• Your visa was refused after your previous permission expired
• Your application was rejected as invalid, not refused

For full guidance, see:

• Student route: caseworker guidance
• Immigration Rules: Appendix Administrative Review
• Gov.uk website

When a Student visa application is refused, the Student visa application fee is not refunded. However, if you paid the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) as part of your application this will be refunded in full, usually within 6 weeks of the outcome.

Find out more about re IHS refunds on the the government website. If you do not receive a refund within 6 weeks of your visa decision, contact UKVI directly to request this.

If your Student visa application is rejected as invalid, you should get a refund of all fees paid.

• You must tell the truth in your application. If you use deception or fail to declare previous periods of overstay or breaches of your immigration conditions, you could be banned from re-entry to the UK for a period of 10 years
• Before applying, read all relevant guidance to ensure you meet the requirements and have the correct documents needed for a successful application.
• If you're not exempt, you'll need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) again. You should receive a refund for any IHS contribution paid in relation to your refused application, usually within 6 weeks.