Visa sponsorship and compliance

As your Student visa sponsor, SOAS has certain obligations to ensure that we maintain this sponsorship according to current UKVI rules and regulations.

Student Visa holder obligations 

As an international student holding a Student visa, you are required to keep SOAS updated with your term-time contact details including your address both term time and permanent, mobile number, and email address. You can update your contact details by using SOAS Online Services.

Update SOAS if you change your immigration status or obtain a new passport or BRP. Upload new immigration documents to the Online Student Services portal.

Attend all your classes and other course-related contact points to comply with the conditions of your student visa.

As part of our duty as a Student visa sponsor, we will carry out regular checks of Student visa holder files and you can expect to receive contact from the Registry/Student Visa team during each academic year associated with these checks. 

We are required to check that:

• we hold a current UK term time address for all Student visa holders
• we hold a current telephone number for all Student visa holders
• students enrolled with pending visa applications keep us updated with the progress of that application
• students attend as appropriate and are engaged with their studies – failure to do so may result in your withdrawal from the programme and subsequent withdrawal of our sponsorship
• in limited circumstances students may be able to apply for an additional CAS to extend their studies. Please liaise with the Student Visa team to discuss the circumstances before the expiry of a current visa
• if any required data is missing from your record, or your visa is running out, you may receive emails from us to inform you of what you need to do.

You will be contacted using your SOAS email address during the year to check the details we currently hold about you are correct. If this is necessary you will be emailed and given time to update your UK contact details. If your details change during the year, you can update us at any time using SOAS Online Services.

Students who fail to adhere to visa regulations put their Student visa status at risk which can result in your visa sponsorship being withdrawn

Changes in personal circumstances

Students sponsored for a Student visa are responsible for ensuring that SOAS and the Home Office are informed of the following changes to your details:

• Change of personal details (name, gender, nationality, etc.)
• Criminal convictions
• Change to your contact details
• Change to your Representative’s details
• Change to your Dependent’s details 

If you have a biometric residence permit (BRP) and change your address, you can do this using the Change of Circumstances Form. However, any other changes will mean you have to apply for a new BRP. Full details on reporting a change are available from the Home Office website.

If applied for a visa and used the UK Immigration: ID Check app you will be able to log back into your UKVI account to update your personal details, and view and prove your immigration status.  

Police Registration

The requirement for certain nationals to register with the UK police has been abolished. You are no longer to register with the UK police or update them about any changes to your UK immigration status or address even if this requirement is written on your visa vignette or other immigration status document. 

Immigration document checks

Please note: If we sponsor you for your Student Visa or Tier 4 visa, we will ask you to verify your immigration status at various points during your studies with us. Please make sure you respond if we get in touch, otherwise, your visa sponsorship may be withdrawn.