Your student visa will be granted up to 1 month before the start date of your course (according to the 'course start date' on your CAS), or, 7 days before your 'intended travel date' - this is the date you put on the visa application form, whichever is later.

Student visa holders coming to the UK for more than 6 months will be issued a 90-day or 30-day temporary travel visa (TTV - it is the vignette sticker inside your passport) which should be used to enter the UK - the 90-day temporary travel visa has been issued since July 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The UKVI decision letter (this is the letter you receive when you collect your passport) will confirm the full duration of your Student visa and give information on any visa conditions as well as instructions for how, when and where to collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP card) upon arrival in the UK.

Please note: if you have been issued a Student visa inside your passport which is longer than 6 months, instead of a temporary travel visa, you must contact the visa application centre to have this corrected before coming to the UK.

Your visa will be valid from up to 7 days before the start date of the course (according to the 'course start date' on your CAS).

It will be valid from the date a decision is made on your visa application.

The length of your visa is calculated as follows:

• Your Course Start Date to your Course End Date (as listed on your CAS)

+

• The UKVI Wrap up period

Its purpose is to give you time to:

• Settle your affairs permanently before you leave the UK for good

• To switch to another visa category that allows you to remain in the UK.

Please see the following table to see how much time a student can come to the UK for:

Your new BRP card will be valid until 31 December 2024 only.

This is because the UKVI is required to review its encryption technology no later than 31 December 2024.

You should not worry however, since, by 30 June 2024, the UKVI will have issued guidance on how to obtain a new BRP card - we understand that the new BRP card will be issued free of charge too.

If your course is 6 months or longer, you will receive a Temporary Travel Vignette - This is a sticker in your passport.

This is a multi entry visa, that allows you to enter the UK and collect your Biometric Residence Permit.

You will also receive a decision letter, usually by email, confirming how to collect your BRP (Biometric Residence Permit) card once you arrive in the UK.

Your study conditions, work permissionLink opens in a new window, police registrationLink opens in a new window, length of visa etc. are endorsed in your temporary travel visa and / or decision letter and so you should check all the details carefully and keep them safe.

You should still be entitled to the same additional months after the end of the course as outlined above, even if the period of study after resumption is shorter.

For example:

If you are on a 3-year course and took a temporary withdrawal after 2.5 years of study, and are returning to the UK to complete the last 3 months of your studies using a Student visa, you should still be entitled to 4 additional months of leave after the official 'course end date' as stated in your CAS.

If you believe there is an error on your entry clearance visa, this is the visa sticker in your passport,

For example:

If the decision letter indicates that you have not been granted the correct amount of leave as outlined above.

There is a chance a mistake may have been made.

If you find yourself in this situation, you should contact your Visa Application Centre to have the error corrected.

If it is not possible to correct the error before you travel,

For example:

You only just got your TTV, you note an error, but you have to fly to the UK immediately.

Then, within 7 days of your arrival in the UK, you must correct this error.

To do this, please click on the following link and follow the guidance provided:

Correcting an error on your TTV or BRP.

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:

• Online Contact form

• Book a Help Desk Appointment