Your Visa and Right to Study
Find out how to collect your BRP and Right to Study.
Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) Collection and eVisas
Most student visa applicants on programmes of more than 6 months who received a decision before 31st October 2024 will need to collect a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card on arrival in the UK.
You should collect your BRP card at the local Post Office shown on your visa decision letter and keep it in a safe place. If you are travelling outside of the UK, please make sure to still carry your BRP until it expires.
If you received a decision after 31st October, you will only receive an eVisa.
Collecting your BRP card from a local Post Office
The three participating Post Offices in Newcastle are:
- Barras Bridge Post Office (within M&M News)
- Northumberland Street Post Office (within WHSmiths)
- Byker Post Office
When you go to collect your BRP card, you need to take with you:
- the visa decision letter
- your passport
You BRP card will end no later than 31st December 2024, even if your immigration permission is for longer than this. This is because UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will be replacing BRP cards with eVisas throughout 2024. You should still collect your BRP card on arrival, as you will need it to access your eVisa.
BRP card collection for dependants
As the main applicant (or student) you should accompany dependants collecting their BRP cards from the Post Office.If you have dependants under the age of 18, you must nominate yourself as the responsible adult to collect their BRP cards, even if you are the child’s parent.
Students aged under 18
If you are under 18 you and you are not accompanied by an adult, you may not collect a BRP card from the Post Office.Please contact the Visa Support Team at compliance@ncl.ac.uk for further guidance.
eVisas
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) are introducing a digital immigration system, which means that throughout 2024, BRP cards will be replaced by eVisas.
Some students may already have an eVisa, for example some EU, EEA and Swiss nationals plus some students who may have made a recent visa application from inside the UK.
If you currently have a BRP card and you do not already have an eVisa, you can now create a UKVI account. When you have created your account, you will be able to view your eVisa.
eVisas do not currently show the same details that your BRP card does. You may have to refer to your visa decision letter to read about the full conditions of your visa.
You will be able to share details of your eVisa using View And Prove your Immigration Status.
You can use the View and Prove your Immigration Status service to provide a share code to the University for your Right to Study check.
You should select “other” when choosing a category to generate a sharecode.
Check your visa
It is important that you check your BRP card or your eVisa and follow the steps below to correct any mistakes.
You should check
- your full name.
- visa expiry and issue date.
- type of visa.
- Newcastle University’s sponsor licence number: CKTK52NU0; (Not currently shown on an eVisa)
- working conditions (Not currently shown on an eVisa)
You can check all the details on your visa on your decision letter.
Duration of your visa
Your student visa will normally last for the duration of your programme, plus some additional weeks or months at the end.
You must make sure that the length of your visa is correct:
- programmes of 12 months or more: duration of programme + 4 months.
- programmes of 6-12 months: duration of programme + 2 months.
- pre-sessional programmes: duration of programme + 1 month.
- programmes of less than 6 months: duration of programme + 1 week.
Correcting error on the vignette inside your passport
If the error on your visa is on the vignette inside your passport, you should report this to the UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) within 3 months of arriving in the UK.
In order to do this, you should follow the instructions for reporting an error on your BRP card (for visa applications made outside of the UK).
When completing the form, you should enter your 'GWF' number.
If it has been over 3 months since you arrive in the UK, you are still encouraged to follow the steps above and contact the Visa Support Team if the UKVI will not amend the error.
Error on e-Visas
If there is an error on your e-Visa with the expiry date or type of permission, you will need to contact the Visa Support Team on Compliance@ncl.ac.uk.
You should include all of your details in this email (including your name and student number) along with your visa application reference number, CAS Number, an up to date share code and details about the error.
Proving your right to study
The University is required to check that your immigration permission permits you to study in the UK. We check this by requesting copies of documents which prove your immigration permission to be in the UK when you register on your programme. We call this a right to study check.
UK Visas and Immigration will continue to issue BRP cards until 31st October 2024. If you receive a BRP card, you should provide a copy of both sides of your BRP card plus a share code for your eVisa as part of your right to study check.
To complete your right to study check, you can provide your immigration documents in the following ways:
- Through the Student Portal. When you log into your account you will be able to see if you have any right to study tasks to complete.
- In-person at Great North House, level 1 Monday to Friday from 11am to 1pm
You must also provide any new immigration documents you receive, if:
- you extend or change your UK immigration permission.
- you obtain a new passport.
- your eVisa is updated.
You should also provide evidence that you have made an in-time application for further leave to remain before your current leave to remain expires.
If you have additional documents through a change of circumstances or you have updated your documents but are not able to submit these through the student portal, please submit them using this form.
It is very important that you provide evidence of your right to study promptly, as your registration at the University may be suspended if you do not do so. If you have any questions about your right to study check and the documents that the University requires, please e-mail compliance@ncl.ac.uk.
If you have entered the UK without a visa for a period of 6 months or less
We will require:
1. A copy of your passport, and;
2. A copy of your passport page showing an entry stamp, or;
3. A copy of your boarding pass or ticket giving the date of your entry to the UK if you did not receive an entry stamp.
If you have entered the UK with a visa in your passport
We will require:
1. A copy of your passport, and;
2. A copy of your visa with an entry stamp, or a copy of your boarding pass or ticket giving the date of your entry to the UK if you do not have an entry stamp.
3. A share code so that we can view your eVisa.
Please note, if you have an BRP and e-visa, please provide a share code and a copy of your BRP card – Please see ‘If you have an e-Visa’ for instructions on how to generate a share code.
If you have an e-Visa (including EU Settled or Pre-settled)
We will require:
1. A copy of your passport, and;
2. A share code generated ‘To prove my immigration status for anything else’, and.
3. A copy of your boarding pass or ticket giving the date of your entry to the UK.
You can generate a share code on the following link: https://www.gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status
If you have recently made an application for leave to remain in the UK
If you have recently made an application for leave to remain in the UK, but your new visa has not yet been granted, please send evidence of your visa application showing the type of application and the date that the application was submitted to compliance@ncl.ac.uk
If you have been granted leave to remain in the UK
If you have been granted leave to remain in the UK, we require a shaer code so that we can veiw your eVisa. you shoudl submit your sharecode using this form.
Other evidence of immigration permission
Examples of other immigration permission which may prove your right to study include the following categories (but not limited to these categories): Dependant visa, BNO visa, Visitor visa (even if you did not have to apply for this visa in advance of travelling to the UK), EUSS Pre-settled and Settled status, Skilled Worker visa, Global Talent visa, Indefinite leave to remain, leave outside the immigration rules such as humanitarian protection and asylum routes.
It is very important that you provide documents which prove your right to study. If you fail to do so, your registration is at risk. If you have any queries about what you should provide for your right to study check, please e-mail compliance@ncl.ac.uk.
If you have any queries or concerns about your immigration status, please contact the Visa Support Team at visa@ncl.ac.uk as soon as possible.