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Permanent Withdrawal (PWD)

Section 1: Purpose and Contents of this page:

This page has been created to give guidance for students considering Permanent Withdrawal from their course before completion.

Please ensure you have carefully read the guidance provided for your situation BEFORE you contact Student Immigration.


Section 2: What is Permanent Withdrawal (PWD)?

Permanently withdrawing from your studies means that:

  • You have decided to leave your course of study and the University of Warwick

OR

  • The University has decided to permanently withdraw you from your studies in accordance with the University Regulations

Section 3: Will PWD affect my Student Visa/UK immigration status?

Yes.

A report will be sent to the Home Office once your student record is updated to show that you have withdrawn from your studies, if you withdraw prematurely (this means you withdraw before your current 'course end date').

You will be notified by e-mail once this report has been made and you will be provided with information about what to do next.

Following the report, the UKVI will take action to curtail (shorten) your visa in due course; this is because you no longer require the visa for study.

We understand that when curtailing a Student visa, the UKVI will normally allow a ‘grace period’ of 60 days for you to leave the UK or make another immigration application but this is not guaranteed and may depend on your circumstances. For example, if you are reported as failing to enrol at the beginning of a new course, it is likely that your visa will be curtailed with immediate effect as the Home Office will judge that you have not entered the UK.

The University cannot predict when the UKVI will take curtailment action and does not receive notification of curtailments, so the safest option is for you to leave the UK/switch visa category within 60 days of the date of our report to the Home Office.

If you have already left the UK, curtailment should take immediate effect so you should not try to return to the UK using the same visa.

If you leave your course before completion, your work permission stops with immediate effect, i.e. as soon as you stop studying, regardless of when your Student visa is curtailed.

If you paid the Immigration Health Surcharge as part of the Student visa application, you will continue to be eligible for free NHS hospital treatment until your new Student visa expiry date, adjusted following curtailment action.

You should also be aware that following changes to the Immigration Rules on 6 April 2016, if you withdraw from your course prior to completion you will no longer meet the 'academic progression' requirement for applying for your new Student visa in the UK. This means that if you intend to continue studying in the UK, you are likely to need to make a new Student visa application from your home country with a new CAS.

If you are unable to leave the UK for medical reasons, you should contact the Student Immigration and Compliance team for further guidance. If your personal circumstances are complex, you may wish to consult an immigration specialist regarding your options for remaining in the UK.

You can also seek help and support from the University's Wellbeing Support Service.

Please remember to keep your contact details updated with the University AND the Home Office so that you will be able to receive any new information regarding your immigration status

Section 4: Can I stay in the UK after I have been PWD from my course?

Not on your Student Visa, no.

It is not appropriate for you to remain in the UK on a Student Visa after the University has informed the UKVI we are longer sponsoring your visa because you have withdrawn from the course permanently.

If you want to stay in the UK then you will need to switch into another appropriate immigration category within 60 days of the date of our report to the Home Office.

Please note, if you intend to start another course at a different UK institution it is likely that you will not meet the UKVI requirements for academic progression and you are advised to contact the Immigration Service at your new University for further support.

If you are unable to leave the UK within 60 days of our report to the UKVI you should seek specialist independent visa advice to explore your options.

After you have left the UK you should not attempt to re-enter using your Student Visa. You must obtain alternative UK immigration permission to travel to the UK, such as a General Visit Visa.

Section 5: How do I request PWD?

You should discuss your situation with your department in the first instance. You may also wish to consult with the University's Wellbeing Services.

Once you have done so, if you have any further immigration related questions that are not answered on the Student Immigration & Compliance webpages, you can contact us to discuss your situation.

You will need to request PWD via the electronic request form, available at Student Records Online.

Students are advised to read carefully through the permanent withdrawal form Guidance section before submitting their request.

You will need to provide your last date of attendance and select a reason for your withdrawal.

The request will require then be submitted to your department by the Student Records Team.

Your department will confirm the last date of attendance and this will be processed by the Student Records Management team.

You will be notified in writing.

Section 6: If you have further queries and useful links:

If, after reading the guidance above, and you are still unsure of what you should do next, please contact Student Immigration to discuss your situation via the following methods:




    Please click on the following links for more information


    University of Warwick:


    UK Government:


    Other contacts:

    Page Change Log:

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