If your visa application is successful, you will be issued with an e-visa.
Please note that UKVI is phasing out the use of physical Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) by the end of March 2025. After that date you will not need to carry a physical document, except for your current passport, which must be registered to your UKVI account.
E-visas should make it quicker and easier to prove your status at the UK border and share your status with third parties like employers and landlords.
Once you have been approved for your visa, you will receive an email from UKVI that details your approval, your visa conditions and how to access your eVisa.
We recommend you keep a copy of the visa grant letter, which will be e-mailed to you when your visa is approved. This provides full details of your visa conditions and may be important to have for reference in the future.
Further information on e-visas can be found on the UK Government website.
Notifying RCM of your eVisa
You must access your eVisa before the start of term and send a share code to international@rcm.ac.uk You can do this by using UKVI’s View & Prove service.
It is essential that you do this before you travel to the UK. It will also make registration more seamless as we will already have your visa on file.
Please ensure that the information in your e-visa is kept up to date. If anything changes you must Update your UKVI Account. Any discrepancies with information provided to airlines etc. could cause problems or delays when you travel.
Length of leave
The length of time your Student visa will be valid depends on the length of your course.
Courses of 12 months or more
Your visa will be granted for:
- one month before the course OR 7 days before the intended date of travel (if the visa is granted less than 1 month before the course)
- the full length of the course
- four months at the end of the course.
Courses of 6–11 months
Your visa will be granted for:
- one month before the course OR 7 days before the intended date of travel (if the visa is granted less than 1 month before the course)
- the full length of the course
- two months at the end of the course.
Standard conditions of Student visas
These conditional also apply to Tier 4 (General) Student visas issued before October 2020.
You can:
- study full-time at your sponsoring institution on the course for which your CAS was issued
- undertake subsidiary study if you wish (eg an evening class)
- work up to 20 hours per week in term-time, and full-time during vacation periods
- work as a performer if undertaking a work placement that is arranged by your sponsor and an assessed part of your course (visit our Creative Careers Centre for more details)
- use the National Health Service (provided you have paid the Immigration Healthcare Surcharge)
- bring dependants (e.g. spouse or children) if you are a doctoral (PhD) student
You can't:
- claim public funds (e.g. unemployment benefit)
- be self-employed or engage in business activity
- work as a professional sportsperson or entertainer (except for performances covered by the exemption for work placements)
- fill a full-time, permanent vacancy
You must:
- inform the RCM and UKVI if your circumstances change
Always check your visa grant letter carefully when you receive it - if you think there are any errors in the conditions printed on it, contact us straight away.
Find out more about working during and after studies.
