A-Z Glossary
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A
- Administrative (Admin) Review
A process by which people applying for a Visa can challenge a refusal on the basis that the decision is incorrect due to a case working error.
A scheme of the British government for certifying foreign students from outside the EU for entry into the United Kingdom to study or conduct research in certain sensitive technology-related fields; for these students, obtaining an ATAS certificate is a prerequisite for obtaining a visa
Policy which allows some students to take a short, time-limited, break in studies, usually for medical reasons, with no impact on their Student Visa
B
- Biometrics
Unique physical characteristics (fingerprints and photograph) used in the automated recognition of individuals, typically for the purposes of security
- Breach
An act of breaking or failing to observe a law, agreement, or code of conduct
- Brexit
The withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union
- BRP Card
A biometric residence permit (BRP) can be used to confirm your: identity, right to study, and right to any public services or benefits you’re entitled to. Your BRP will include your name, date and place of birth, your fingerprints and a photo of your face (this is your biometric information), your immigration status and any conditions of your stay, whether you can access public funds, for example, benefits and health services. BRPs are only issued until 31 December 2024, they will then be replaced by e-visas
C
- CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies)
An electronic record, identifiable by a unique 13-digit code that the University produces for the Home Office, confirming your personal details and information about your chosen course of study; valid for 6 months from the date of assignment, it must be used as part of your Student Visa application
- Citizenship
The position or status of being a citizen of a particular country
- CTA (Common Travel Area)
The United Kingdom, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands
- Curtailment
When UKVI makes the decision to cancel a visa before its stated expiry date
D
- Dependant visa
A visa which enables overseas immediate family members of some UK visa holders to come to the UK
- Digital immigration status
Online proof of your visa which allows organisations such as employers, landlords and universities, to check and verify your immigration status to assess your right to access those services
- Distance learning
The education of students who may not always be physically present at an institution; the UKVI definition is as follows: "studying for the majority of the time outside of the UK for a UK qualification. May be required to be in the UK for short periods of time for certain activities, such as induction weeks, intensive face-to-face learning, one-to-one progress checks or to sit exams or assessments"
- Doctorate
The highest degree awarded by a university faculty or other approved educational organization
E
- EEA (European Economic Area)
A free-trade zone created in 1994, composed of the states of the European Union together with Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein
- Endorsing body
An organisation approved by the Home Office to endorse applicants in the relevant visa category
- Enrolment
The act of enrolling at an institution or on a course and agreeing to the institutional regulations
A permit which allows the holder to come to the UK for up to 6 months for tourism, visiting family and friends, business or short-term study; available to specific nationalities only
- EU (European Union)
A supranational political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe
- EUSS (European Union Settlement Scheme)
UK immigration administration introduced by the Home Office in response to Brexit which processed the registration of EU nationals resident in the UK prior to the end of the Brexit transition period; the deadline to apply to this scheme has now passed
- E-visa
Online proof of your visa which allows organisations such as employers, landlords and universities, to check and verify your immigration status to assess your right to access those services
- EVW (Electronic Visa Waiver)
A permit which lets the holder visit the UK for up to 6 months for tourism, business, study or medical treatment; available to nationals of the following countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE
F
- FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office)
Ministerial department of the UK Government, responsible for handling the ATAS process
- Freelance
Self-employed and hired to work for different companies on particular assignments
G
- Global Talent Visa
A visa category open to talented and promising individuals in the fields of science, digital technology and arts and culture wishing to work in the UK, requiring endorsement from an approved body
- Graduate Route Visa
A post-study work route for students who have a degree or other relevant qualification from an approved UK higher education provider – the application is not sponsored or endorsed by an employer or by your institution
H
- Home Office
The British government department dealing with domestic affairs, including law and order, immigration, and broadcasting, in England and Wales
I
- IHS (Immigration Health Surcharge)
The UK healthcare charge that non-EEA migrants need to pay as part of their immigration application process
- Immigration
The process of moving to a new country or region with the intention of staying and living there
- Immigration Rules
Some of the most important pieces of legislation that make up the UK’s immigration law, updated on a regular basis
- Indefinite Leave to Remain (also known as Settlement)
The right to live, work and study in the UK for as long as you like, and apply for benefits if you’re eligible; you can use it to apply for British citizenship
- Innovator Founder Visa
This visa route is for a person seeking to establish a business in the UK based on an innovative, viable and scalable business idea they have generated, or to which they have significantly contributed; the application must be supported by an endorsing body
- Integral
Necessary to make a whole complete; essential or fundamental
- Integrated Masters
A single course which combines undergraduate and postgraduate study into a single four-year-long course
- Internship
The position of a student or trainee who works in an organization, sometimes without pay, to gain work experience or satisfy requirements for a qualification
L
- Leave
Another name for a visa; permission to enter or remain in the UK as stated on your Visa
- Leave to stay
A visa applied for and granted inside the UK
M
- Maintenance
Financial support provided for a person's living expenses
N
- National Insurance
In the UK, the system of compulsory payments by employees and employers to provide state assistance for people who are sick, unemployed, or retired
- National Insurance (NI) number
A unique identification digit used in the United Kingdom to track an individual’s national insurance contributions and entitlement; issued by the Department for Work and Pensions
- NHS (National Health Service)
The Government-funded medical and health care services that everyone living in the UK can use without being asked to pay the full cost of the service
- Non-Visa national
Someone who does not usually need to apply for a Visa in advance of travel to the UK, provided their trip is for no more than 6 months, the purpose for the trip falls within any of the activities permissible under the visitor rules, and their nationality does not appear on the UKVI list of visa nationals
O
- Overstayer
A person who remains in a country beyond the period for which leave was granted, e.g. after their visa has expired
P
- Passport
An official document issued by a government, certifying the holder's identity and citizenship and entitling them to travel under its protection to and from foreign countries.
- Permission to enter
A visa applied for and granted outside the UK
- Postgraduate
Relating to or denoting a course of study undertaken after completing a first degree
- Postgraduate Diploma
A taught postgraduate course that does not require students to complete a dissertation or thesis; this award may be conferred to a Masters student if they fail to submit or pass their final dissertation
R
- Refusal
A visa application will be refused if, after it has been deemed valid, you fail to show that you meet the requirements of the UK's Immigration Rules
- Rejection
A visa application will be rejected and returned to you by the UK Home Office if it is not a valid application
- Research-based degree
A research-based degree is defined by the UKVI as: "a postgraduate programme comprising a research component (including a requirement to produce original work) that is larger than any accompanying taught component when measured by student effort"
- Right to Study
This means you have permission to remain in the UK and this permission does not restrict you from study
S
- Salary
A fixed regular payment, typically paid monthly but often expressed as an annual sum, made by an employer to an employee
- Sanction
A threatened penalty for disobeying a law or rule
- Schengen Visa
A permit that allows the holder to enter and travel freely within the Schengen Area, which comprises 27 European countries, for short stays of up to 90 days within a 180-day period, primarily for tourism or business purposes
- Section 3C
A section of the Immigration Act 1971, which prevents a person who makes an in-time application to extend their leave from becoming an overstayer while they are awaiting a decision on that application and while any appeal or administrative review they are entitled to is pending
- Self-employed
You are not on a company payroll but rather you manage your own workload, pay and tax; you can decide when to work and for whom, you do not receive sick pay or annual leave. See also ‘Freelance’
- Settlement
- Skilled Worker Visa
A work visa route which allows certain professionals to live and work in the UK for up to 5 years at a time; applicants need to be sponsored to do a specific skilled job for an employer approved by the Home Office
- Standard Visitor Visa
A short-term visit visa which allows the holder to stay in the UK for no more than 180 days per stay; EU nationals are granted this type of leave when they enter the UK using just their passport
- Start Up Visa
A former UK visa route for persons seeking to establish a business in the UK for the first time. From 13 July 2023 the Start-up route closed to all new applications
- Student Visa
Travel authorization issued by countries around the world. which permits foreign students to study at a university or college within its national territory, giving the holder permission to enter the country and live within its borders for the duration of their course
T
- Temporary Withdrawal
When a student decides to take a complete break from study and resume at a later date; Visa sponsored students will usually be required to exit the UK during the period when they are not actively studying, and their leave will be subject to curtailment by the Home Office
U
- UKCISA (UK Council for International Student Affairs)
The UK's national advisory body serving the interests of international students and those who work with them
- UK (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
An island country that sits north-west of mainland Europe, made up of mainland Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) and the northern part of the island of Ireland (Northern Ireland)
- UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration)
A division of the Home Office responsible for the UK visa system
- Undergraduate
A university student who has not yet taken a first degree
V
- Valid
Legally or officially acceptable
- Visa
An endorsement on a passport indicating that the holder is allowed to enter, leave, or stay for a specified period of time in a country of which they are not a national
- Visa national
Someone who needs to apply for a Visa overseas, in advance of travel to the UK, because they are a citizen or national of a country which is listed at Immigration Rules Appendix Visitor: Visa national list
- Visa vignette
A sticker placed in your passport following a successful entry clearance application. It contains basic details about you and the permission you have been granted
- Visitor Visa
A visa granted for the main purpose of tourism; you can visit the UK as a Standard Visitor to study on courses up to 6 months duration
- Viva (short for viva voce)
An oral examination, typically for an academic qualification
- Volunteering
A voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labour, often for a charity or to serve the community
W
- Work experience
A specified period of time that a person spends with a business, during which they have an opportunity to learn directly about working life and the working environment – completed outside of a course of study
- Work placement
An entirely optional yet integral part of a UK degree course, where students are placed with a company or organisation for between six and 12 months, before returning for the final year of study
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