Information Regarding Student Route (previously Tier 4) Research Students

1.

If you are a postgraduate research student from outside the European Union, enrolled full-time at the University for a Research Degree, you must read the following information carefully and plan your studies accordingly:

• If you are a non-EU national who requires a student visa to study in the UK, you must be in full-time study in order to get a Student Route (previously Tier 4) visa; It is only possible to study part-time if you qualify for another UK visa status;
• In order to apply for a Student Route (previously Tier 4) visa, you will need a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from the University;
• There are four possible enrolment dates each year for a PhD or MPhil (1 January, 1 April, 1 July, 1 October) and your CAS will show your agreed enrolment date;
• MRes students must check to confirm when their programme commences. MRes programmes may not have as many enrolment dates as a traditional research programme;
• You can request that your student visa be valid up to one month before your enrolment date, to enable you to enter the UK and prepare yourself for your studies;
• The UK Visas and Immigration visa rules state that the expiry date of your student visa will be at the end of your maximum candidature plus 4 months, as follows:
  • 4 years plus 4 months for a PhD candidate;
  • 3 years plus 4 months for an MPhil candidate;
  • 2 years plus 4 months for an MRes candidate.
• The visa rules do not allow you to have a visa for any longer, unless the University extends your candidature;
• As it can take more than four months after submission of the thesis for you to take a viva exam and make corrections, the University strongly advises you not to wait until the end of the fourth year of candidature before submitting a thesis;
• If you do submit your thesis at the end of your candidature, you are likely to find that your visa has expired before your degree is formally confirmed, and you may not be able to stay in the UK in order to make a further visa application or take up a job offer.

If you have any questions about your visa and other immigration matters, please contact the University’s International Students Advisory Service by emailing international.campuslife.

2. 

As of April 2013, any PhD student with a valid Student Route (previously Tier 4) visa and nearing successful completion of their degree is eligible to apply, to extend their leave to remain in the UK for a further 12 months. Students should apply within the 60 days before the completion of their course. The intention of this scheme is to enable students to find skilled employment, to undertake work experience or to set up as an entrepreneur, however these new work rights do not begin until the PhD has been awarded. Please refer to Student Route (previously Tier 4) Doctoral Extension Scheme for further information.

3. 

In the event any changes are made to postgraduate student research proposals, the University has a requirement to notify UKVI within 28 days of the changes. Students who are not UK, EEA or Swiss nationals may be required to obtain an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate. Information regarding which courses require an ATAS certificate can be found here. It is the responsibility of Swansea University supervisors to notify the University’s International Student Compliance Team (Education Services), of changes to the student’s original research proposal or the use of any new research technique. For more information, please read the ATAS and Change of Research Topic Policy and Procedure.

The University has a requirement to notify UKVI within 28 days of any changes to postgraduate student research proposals, for those that require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate. This applies to non EEA students only.

Information regarding which courses require an ATAS certificate can be found via:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-out-if-you-require-an-atas-certificate#find-out-how-to-apply

It is the responsibility of Swansea University supervisors to notify the University’s International Student Compliance Team (Education Services), of changes to the student’s original research proposal or the use of any new research technique.

In order to capture changes and advise students concerning the validity of their ATAS, the following procedure should be followed:

1. Any change to the student’s original research proposal or the use of any new research technique associated with an ATAS student should be notified to the International Student Compliance Team.
2. Using the studentcompliance@swansea.ac.uk, supervisors should send an email specifically highlighting a) the original research topic and b) the proposed new research topic.
3. The International Student Compliance team will make an evaluation regarding the variation of change and notify the student and supervisor to re-apply for the ATAS, if that is needed. Re-applying carries no financial cost.
4. The International Student Compliance Team will be responsible for recording and monitoring changes. If you have any questions or queries, please contact the International Student Compliance Team via studentcompliance@swansea.ac.uk. 

Procedure for Applying for a CAS Statement from Education Services

All students wishing to apply for an extension to their Student Route (previously Tier 4) student visa must obtain a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) Statement from Education Services.

In order to obtain a CAS statement you must meet the requirements as set by the University and UK immigration laws. These requirements are as follows:

• Time limit

On 6^th April 2012, the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) introduced a limit to the length of time a student may study at Bachelor degree (NQF 6) and Taught Masters (NQF 7) level whilst on a Student Route (previously Tier 4) visa. In most cases the limit will be 5 years, though there are some exceptions to this rule.

• Identification documents

You must provide us with copies of your current passport and all visas/biometric identity cards, expired and current. 

• Academic progression

Home Office regulations require students to show academic progress by moving to courses at a higher academic level. However, you do not need to show academic progression if you are extending your leave to complete an existing course.

• Tuition/Accommodation fees

All payments of your tuition and accommodation fees must be up-to-date prior to you obtaining a CAS statement.

To enable us to assess your eligibility for a CAS statement you must complete a Previous Study Questionnaire, detailing all your previous study in the UK and providing all supporting documents and copies of all previous visas as stated in the questionnaire.

Download a copy of the Previous Study Questionnaire.

The purpose of the Previous Study Questionnaire is to establish whether you have enough time to complete your programme of study and to confirm you are making academic progress.

The information you provide must be complete and accurate. It is your responsibility to ensure that no information requested, or other material information has been omitted. Swansea University reserves the right to check the authenticity of this information by contacting any of the institutions where you have previously studied.

If the evidence provided in your Previous Study Questionnaire meets the requirements stated above and we are satisfied that this is accurate, we will compile a pro forma statement detailing the information that will appear on your CAS statement. It is your responsibility to ensure that this information is correct. Once you confirm the details of your pro forma statement we will issue your CAS statement.

PLEASE NOTE: Given the amount of information that must be compiled and verified in order to establish that you meet the requirements for a CAS, this can be a lengthy process. Each request for a CAS is processed individually, therefore we cannot guarantee issuance within a set amount of time.

As of April 2013, any PhD student with a valid Student Route (previously Tier 4) visa and nearing successful completion of their degree is eligible to apply to extend their leave to remain in the UK for a further 12 months. The intention of this scheme is to enable students to find skilled employment, to undertake work experience or to set up as an entrepreneur.

An application to this scheme must be made before your current Tier 4 student visa expires and up to 60 days before your degree is awarded. A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is also a requirement, which means the University will continue to act as your sponsor and maintaining regular contact with us will be a condition of your visa once admitted to the scheme.  

If you believe you may be eligible for this scheme, we strongly advise you register your interest or intention to apply prior to submitting your thesis to ensure a timely application can be made. Please contact our International Student Compliance Unit to discuss making an application Telephone: +44 1792 604465 or email student compliance. 

Your obligations while on the Doctorate Extension Scheme (DES)

• To keep your contact details (residential address, telephone number and email address) up to date with Education Services at all times;
• To adhere to the working conditions attached to your visa;
  • Standard Student Route (previously Tier 4) conditions apply (e.g. limited work permissions) until your Doctorate award has been confirmed;
  • Once you have submitted your DES application and your Doctorate award has been confirmed you may work without restrictions (however you still cannot work as a Doctor or Dentist in training or as a sportsperson, including coaches);
• To adhere to the University’s DES monitoring policy and respond promptly to any correspondence (this is likely to be via email) from the University during your sponsorship on the scheme. Your contact points will be in October, January, April and July. If you do not respond to contact from the University it will be obliged to inform the Home Office and your visa may be cancelled;
• To inform the University if you are no longer participating in the scheme or if you leave the UK permanently;
• To leave the UK or to switch into a different immigration category (e.g. Tier 2) before your visa expires.

Swansea University’s obligations:

During your sponsorship under the DES scheme, the University is required to inform the Home Office of the following circumstances:

• Confirm whether you have completed, failed or been awarded a lower qualification than a doctorate (e.g. MPhil);
• Vouch that you understand your obligation to abide by the conditions of your leave
• Maintain contact with you, at least quarterly and probably by e-mail
• Notify the UKVI of some specified events, for example:

• • If you fail your course or are awarded a lower qualification;
  • If you miss an agreed contact;
  • If you permanently leave the UK or you switch into another immigration category;
  • If you are no longer participating in the scheme.

The University has a requirement to notify UKVI within 28 days of any changes to postgraduate student research proposals, for those that require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate. This applies to non EEA students only.

Information regarding which courses require an ATAS certificate can be found via:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-out-if-you-require-an-atas-certificate#find-out-how-to-apply

It is the responsibility of Swansea University supervisors to notify the University’s International Student Compliance Team (Education Services), of changes to the student’s original research proposal or the use of any new research technique.

In order to capture changes and advise students concerning the validity of their ATAS, the following procedure should be followed:

1. Any change to the student’s original research proposal or the use of any new research technique associated with an ATAS student should be notified to the International Student Compliance Team.
2. Using the studentcompliance@swansea.ac.uk, supervisors should send an email specifically highlighting a) the original research topic and b) the proposed new research topic.
3. The International Student Compliance team will make an evaluation regarding the variation of change and notify the student and supervisor to re-apply for the ATAS, if that is needed. Re-applying carries no financial cost.
4. The International Student Compliance Team will be responsible for recording and monitoring changes. If you have any questions or queries, please contact the International Student Compliance Team via studentcompliance@swansea.ac.uk.