Immigration after receiving results

FAQs relating to visa implications of a result outcome or academic appeal

Below are some FAQs concerning how the differing resit/repeat/exit result outcomes might affect your individual immigration situation. You will need to know which category you fall into so that you can see which advice applies to you. Unfortunately, International@CampusLife (ICL) are unable to give you that information as it is linked to your academics and, therefore, needs to come from your Faculty.

If you have made an academic appeal and have received your decison, the information below will also help you understand what that decision may mean.

If you have made an academic appeal and not yet received a decision, you will need to wait for that decision to understand your next steps. It is worth noting that you cannot extend a visa purely to wait for an appeal decison from within the UK. If your decision will be received after your current visa expiry, you should be prepared to leave the UK before your visa ends and to prevent you from becoming a UK overstayer.

Information about your results/appeal decisions in relation to the Graduate Route can be found in the relevant section below.

Please see the section that most fits your situation or query below

I have repeat/resits that start shortly/in the next semester and I will continue to study for the whole academic year

Providing you have enough time on your current visa to complete your resits, you will just use your existing visa to continue your studies.

If you do not have enough time to complete your resits and/or your course on your current visa, you will need to make a visa application before, and both your current visa runs out and before your course end date.

UKVI regulations prohibit Universities from issuing CAS for a course that has already finished. Therefore, any Student Visa extension application must be made before your course ends.

You will need to apply for a CAS statement to make a Student Route application. Please email Student Compliance Services so they can provide the relevant information to do so (please note that we do not issue CAS in ICL). There is comprehensive information about making a Student Route application to help you.

Please note: If, due to resitting, you subsequently need additional time on your visa to be able to complete your UG course you would usually make that application after the results come out of the last year you completed. E.g. if you will need to apply for a visa for your final year, you would make a Student Route visa application after the results for your second year come out.

I have repeat/resits that start shortly/in the next semester and then I have a significant gap in study (more than 60 days)

Providing you have enough time on your current visa to undertake your repeat/resit you would just use that visa to study. However, Student Compliance Services (SCS) will automatically suspend you at the end of the Semester/Resit period and report this suspension to the UKVI. SCS will give you further advice around this when it happens. Your visa will then be curtailed (cancelled) and you will need to leave the UK.

If you will be continuing your course in the following Semester or academic year, you will need a new Student Route visa to come back to the UK. Information on making a Student application from overseas can be found here.

My repeat/resit period starts in the second semester (or after significant gap/more than 60 days)

If there is a large gap before you are expected to re-engage with your studies (i.e. you have to wait until the following semester or there is a gap of more than 60 days), you will be expected to leave the UK. Student Compliance Services (SCS) will automatically suspend you and report this suspension to the UKVI and will give you further advice around this. Your visa will then be curtailed (cancelled). You will need a new visa to come back to the UK.

What visa will I need to apply for to come back to resume study?
This depends on whether you agree with your Faculty to come back under Student Route or as an External Student using a Standard visit visa (see External student information below). This will depend on your individual academic situation and ICL cannot give you information about that - please speak to your Faculty.

If I get a UK Standard Visitor Visas can I switch back to Student Route in the UK?
No. If you come back to the UK for a resubmission or exam as an External Student you will need to leave the UK before your standard visit visa expires. If you then need to come back for additional years of study, will need to go home and apply to come back in under Student Route to complete your course.

Information on making a Student Route application from overseas can be found here.

What about the UKVI time caps for UG students?

The UKVI state that Student Route visa holders can only study a course at degree level (Undergraduate level RQF6) for a maximum of 5 years.

All time spent studying at undergraduate level using a Student Route visa is counted, even if you didn’t complete a course. In addition, if you suspended your studies, but your visa was not curtailed (shortened/cancelled) by UKVI over that period - this time will also be counted in the Time Cap.

If you studied, or are studying, an UG degree which includes a foundation year and the related Student visa was/is for both the foundation and main Bachelor degree course, all time will count towards the 5-year time cap.

Having to repeat years of study can also mean that you do not have enough time to complete your degree. You can normally carry 1-2 repeat years while holding a Student Route visa and still complete the course within the time cap.

However, if you have had 2 or more repeat years already and you need additional re-sit attempts in either Semester, you may, if it is possible, want to think about taking any further resists/repeats as an external student using a Standard Visit visa which does not count towards the 5-year cap. This will only affect a few of students, but it is worth thinking about if you have had multiple repeat/resit years or have switched courses and ‘redone’ years 1 or 2. If you have concerns that you may not have enough time to complete your course due to time caps, contact ICL (you will need complete details of all previous study and visas to hand for them to help you).

I have an option to enrol as an External Student - what does that mean?

Students who are offered a final academic attempt to pass modules as an External student, will be reported to the UKVI as External students, who are no longer under Swansea University immigration sponsorship. Usually, you would not have long left on your Student Route visa when you get to this point. However, if you have more than a couple of months remaining on your current visa, the UKVI may look to curtail (shorten/cancel) this. You will receive notification of curtailment via email.

External students, who have no further enrolled study, cannot be issued a CAS to extend their Student Route visa further. This means that you may need to be prepared to leave the UK before your Student visa expires. These are UKVI rules and not the University’s and so there is no leeway with this.

If your Student Visa has, or is due to, expire before any academic activity you need to do in the UK (i.e. attend a resit) you would need to apply for a UK Standard Visitor Visa for that. This visa can only be applied for from overseas, information can be found here.
If you pass your resits and are then able to proceed to your next academic stage as an enrolled student, you would need to apply for a new Student Route visa from home to complete any subsequent remaining years of study.

If I get a UK Standard Visitor Visa can I switch back to Student Route in the UK if I need to undertake further study?
No. If you come back to the UK for a final resubmission or exam as an External Student you will need to leave the UK before your standard visit visa expires. If you then need to come back for additional years of study, will need to go home and apply to come back in under Student Route to complete your course. Information on making a Student Route application from overseas can be found here.

If I am an external student can I still apply for the Graduate Route?
This would depend on the timings of your resits/repeats, the date of your results and/or whether you need to undertake further in UK study as a non external student.

If you are on a Student Route visa in the UK and are able to complete any final resits and receive your final award results before your current Student visa expires, then you may be able to apply for the Graduate Route (providing you meet all the Graduate Route eligibility requirements).

If you are an external student in the UK on a Student Route visa and you are not able to complete any final resits and receive your final award results before your current Student visa expires, you will need to leave the UK before your visa expiry date and will not be able to apply for the Graduate Route.

What about if I am an external student on a Visit Visa for some resits but then I switch back to being a fully enrolled student on a Student Route visa before the end of my course- can I still apply for the Graduate Route?
Yes, providing you can meet all the Graduate Route eligibility requirements, a short amount of time spent as an external student or on a Visit Visa should not affect your ability to apply for the Graduate Route.

I don’t know which semester(s) my resit/repeat is in or whether I can study as an external student

If you do not know these things you need to go and speak to your Faculty so they can explain this to you and tell you what your options are.

Once you know this, you will be able to identify any visa implications by using the FAQs above.

How do my results, or an appeal decision, relate to the Graduate Route?

Although the University will look to support students to apply for the Graduate Route where possible, any necessary extension to a course end date may mean you become ineligible for the Graduate Route.

It is important that students ensure they understand any impact that their results may have on future plans - including their ability to apply for the Graduate Route.

In order to apply for the Graduate Route, eligibility requirements include a student being awarded at degree level or above (PG Cert and PG Dip exit awards are not eligible courses). Students must also have received their final results and be in the UK on a valid Student Route visa at the time of application. Full details around eligibility and timings can be found here.

If your results state that your official course end date has been moved forward, it may be necessary for you to make a Student Route visa extension. This is to ensure that you have enough time on your visa to receive your results and make a Graduate Route application in the UK. Students should check with their Faculty when their final results are due and check whether this falls before their existing visa is due to expire. If it does not, they should email SCS, with the subject line ‘CAS for GR purposes’.

Please note: UKVI regulations prohibit Universities from issuing CAS for a course that has already finished. Therefore, any Student Visa extension application must be made before your course ends. If you do not do this in time - there will be nothing the University can do to extend your immigration status under the Student Route and you likely will not be able to apply for the Graduate Route.

Students who are offered a final academic attempt to redeem as an External student, cannot be issued a CAS to extend their Student Route visa further. They may need to be prepared to leave the UK before their Student visa expires (see External Students' section above). External students who do not have enough time on their existing Student Route visa to undertake their study and receive their results will likely not be able to apply for the Graduate Route.

Students who need to apply for a Visit Visa, due to external status, resits or a study gap but who then switch back to a Student Route visa before the end of their course should still be able to apply for the Graduate Route. A short amount of time spent as an external student or on a Visit Visa should not affect your ability to apply for the Graduate Route- providing you can meet all the Graduate Route eligibility requirements

If you successfully pass your degree and intend to apply for the Graduate Route; please check the comprehensive University support information, including eligibility, timings and the application process, which can be found here.