This page has been created to give guidance for holders of Student Visas who are considering/will be taking a period of Temporary Withdrawal (TWD) from their course of study.

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

Temporary Withdrawal (TWD) is an approved period of time when a student is not studying for their award and is governed by University regulation 36.1.

Only the academic registrar may approve requests for TWD.

During an approved period of TWD, students must not undertake any formal study for the duration of the TWD and must cease to receive instruction from their department.

However, during a period of TWD, a student will retain their:

• IT access
• Library access
• Borrowing rights

If a student wishes to undertake relevant reading during a period of TWD, it is their decision to do so, but this cannot be a requirement of the TWD.

Upon resumption of studies, the student's registration period is extended and the course end date pushed back to reclaim the TWD period.

Students may request periods of temporary withdrawal for the following reasons:

Financial

• Student proactively seeks a period of TWD in order to make arrangements to cover tuition fees and maintenance for the remainder of their period of study

Medical

• May include, but not limited to, long-term illness, including mental health issues
• Surgeries that prevent a student from attending their course of study for an extended period of time

Maternity

• Please refer to the maternity guidelines in word format or PDF format for further information

Personal reasons

• Family circumstances, including childcare or caring for a family member
• Work/ other commitments
• Student unable to dedicate required time to their studies as a result of appointment to new roles and/or significant changes to a job description
• Compulsory military service
• Any other reason deemed to be acceptable according to University regulations

Immigration reasons

• Students subject to immigration permission who do not obtain a visa in good time to attend their course or whose immigration permission lapses during course registration

The University may require that a student be temporarily withdrawn for a period of time in the following situations:

• If a student subject to immigration permission does not have the correct visa to study in the UK
• If a student subject to immigration permission is found to be in breach of the conditions of their leave, e.g. working more than the permitted number of hours
• If a student subject to immigration permission fails to provide the University with evidence if their visa, e.g. does not provide a copy of the BRP when requested

• As a result of a student’s failure to pay fees

• If there are concerns over attendance, academic engagement or progress
• If there are concerns over a student’s capacity to study
• As an outcome of a student disciplinary process.

If approved, a period of TWD is usually granted for:

• 12 months for undergraduate students
• A minimum 3 months for postgraduate student

Yes. At the point that your student record is updated to reflect a period of TWD a report will be made to the UKVI. The University is required to report all temporary withdrawals to the UKVI as part of its student visa sponsor responsibilities. You will be notified by e-mail once the report has been made and you will be provided with information about what to do next.

Once the UKVI receive this notification that the University has ceased sponsoring your visa, albeit temporarily, action will be taken to curtail your Student Visa. This is because you no longer require the visa for study.

During your period of TWD you will be expected to leave the UK.

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 differ depending on the circumstances.

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.

The University cannot predict when the UKVI will take curtailment action and we do 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.

If you paid the Immigration Health Surcharge as part of your Student visa application, you will continue to be eligible for free NHS hospital treatment until the date which your current leave is curtailed to by the Home Office, or the date you leave the UK, whichever is sooner.

If you are unable to leave the UK within 60 days of the date your TWD has been reported to the Home Office then you should contact the Immigration Service or seek specialist independent visa advice.

You can re-enter the UK using another form of immigration permission, such as a General Visit Visa, but you should not attempt to use your Student Visa to return to the UK as you will be denied entry at the border.

It is extremely important that you keep your contact details up to date with both:

• The Home Office UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)
  • The UKVI will usually contact you via email email, so make sure that you have provided the email address of an account that you regularly check

AND

• The University
  • This is to ensure that you receive any emails or written correspondence regarding your course AND your right to study

Please note, in addition to your Student leave being curtailed, any IHS payment made for the period during which you are withdrawn will not be refunded. This means that when you apply for a new Student Visa in order to resume your studies, you will need to pay the full Visa application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge, if eligible, even though you may have have already paid it as part of your original Student Visa application.

You will need to submit a resumption request via the Student Records workflow, confirming your intent to return after the agreed period of TWD.

If your TWD was for medical reasons you may be required to also provide a fit note.

If you require a Student Visa to study in the UK then you will need to request a CAS from the Immigration Service so that you can apply for a new Student Visa. Your new CAS will state the revised course end date, taking into account the period of TWD.

You will not be able to use your previous Student Visa in order to resume your studies.

If your course requires ATAS clearance then you will need to obtain a new ATAS certificate for use in your new visa application.

If you are eligible to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge as part of your Student Visa application you will need to pay this again; you will not be in 'credit' having paid as part of a previous visa application. You will also need to pay the appropriate Visa application fee as part of the new Visa application.

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 TWD via the electronic request form, available at Student Records Online.

Click here for the Student Records How To Request TWD Guide

The request will require the support of the Director of Graduate or Undergraduate Studies in the student's department.

If the request if approved:

The Academic Office will notify the student and their department by email, confirming last date of attendance, date of expected return and new expected completion date (course end date)

If your request is not approved:

Your department will be in touch to explain the reason(s) and discuss next steps.

Please click on the following links for more information

University of Warwick:

• • Warwick | Student Immigration | I am a Student | Visa Portal | Right to Study / Visa that allow study at Warwick

UK Government:

• • GOV.UK | Find an immigration adviser

Other contacts:

• • Central England Law Centre
  • UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA)
  • Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA)
  • The Law Society