Arriving in the UK

Information about what to do once you arrive in the UK.

When you arrive at a port of entry in the UK, your passport and entry clearance will be checked along with your documents, you will then have a date stamp placed in your passport. Your leave to enter the UK will begin from that date. It will expire on the 'valid until' date stated on your entry clearance.

The Border Force has developed ten top tips to make sure you have everything you need for a smooth arrival.

If you experience any difficulty with Border Force on entry to the UK you should ask the officer to telephone the UKVI Compliance Team on 0208 392 8146, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

We offer a free airport pick-up service from London Heathrow airport for international students who will be living in university accommodation. If you would like to find out more about this service, please check our Arrival and Orientation webpage. 

When you arrive in the UK, you must enrol on the course by the latest acceptance date listed on your CAS. If you hold a Student visa, you will not be registered until you attend an ID Check. 

If your Student visa application is successful, you will receive an initial visa (entry clearance vignette) valid for 30 days, alongside a decision letter explaining the full details of your immigration permission. You must arrive in the UK by the date your vignette expires.

The decision letter will also tell you where you must collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). The location will depend on which option you selected during your online application. If you selected the "Collect from a UK Post Office" option as your BRP pick up location, then the letter will show you which post office you will have to collect your BRP from. If you selected the "Collect from an alternative location" option and provided the University of Roehampton ACL code 2HE792, then you will collect your BRP card when you attend your ID check. If you are collecting your BRP card from a specific Post Office, you should collect it within 10 days of arriving in the UK.  

In your decision letter, the address to your designated Post Office should be included. Using Transport for London's Journey Planner, you can insert your start address (where you intend to travel from) and your destination address (the designated Post Office) and it will generate a list of travel options. 

If you've lost your decision letter and cannot remember the Post Office branch holding your biometric residence permit, you should report a problem with your new BRP through the "If you have problems collecting your BRP" section on the Home Office webpage. 

For further information about the Biometric Residence Permit, please read this guidance published by the Home Office. 

The UKVI Compliance Team will email to invite you to an ID check session upon arrival at the University of Roehampton. When attending the ID Check session, you need to bring the following documents, as they will need to be verified and copied: 

  • Passport
  • Visa/ BRP Card - Your Student visa(s) will only be valid for you to study here if it sponsored by The University of Roehampton and it shows our Sponsor Licence number (F1H3G2RW3)
  • Qualifications listed on your CAS (including English language test certificates)

If you have a Student visa issued for studying at another institution, you will need to apply to the Home Office to change your visa before you can complete your registration at The University of Roehampton. We advise you do this well ahead of time. 

Circumstances in which the University will not permit a student to commence their studies: 

  • Where a student holds a Student visa sponsored by another institution and has not made a new Student visa application using a University of Roehampton CAS
  • Where a student has entered the UK as a tourist/visitor
  • Where a student has entered the UK as a student visitor in order to start a course that is longer than 6 months
  • Where a student has no evidence of their immigration status or valid permission to be in the UK

If you do not register within the specified enrolment period, we will report your non-enrolment to the UK Visas and Immigration. If a visa has been issued to you, this visa will be cancelled and the University will withdraw its sponsorship. 

There is a condition to register with the police if you are coming to the UK to study for more than six months and you are a national of one of the countries listed in the Appendix 2 of the Immigration rules. 

You must register within seven days of collecting your BRP by visiting the Overseas Visitors Records Office (OVRO). If you have, any dependant aged 16 or over, they will also need to register with the police.  Once you have registered, you always need to update the police within seven days if you ever: 

  • Change your address
  • Extend your Student visa leave
  • Change university
  • Renew your passport
  • Get married
  • If any other details on your Police Registration Certificate change

You can find out which changes should be reported, how soon to report them and who to report them to on the Reporting a Change in Circumstances or New Visa page on the OVRO website.