Student Immigration News

If you have selected to collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) from the University of Kent, please see details of when and where on campus you will be able to collect your BRP.

On arrival in Canterbury you can collect your BRP card on campus. In order to do so, during your visa application you must make sure you provide the University’s Alternative Collection Location code (ACL code)in the ‘Alternative Location’ field on the ‘Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) Collection’ screen when completing your online visa application.

The University of Kent ACL code for students wishing to collect their BRP from the University’s Canterbury campus is: 2HE362

The University of Kent ACL code for students wishing to collect their BRP from the University’s Medway campus is: 2HE367

If you are applying for a Tier 4 visa from outside the UK and your leave is for more than 6 months the visa vignette in your passport may be valid for only 30 days and you will need to collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) containing your full grant of leave from either the Post Office or the University within 10 days of arrival in the UK. Whether the vignette in your passport will be valid for 30 days or for the full duration of your course depends on the country in which you made your visa application and the date of application.

This will be introduced in various countries within three stages with full implementation to be completed by July 2015. Further information can be found on our website and also on UKCISA’s website

If you are a current student at the University of Kent and planning to start a new programme at the University you must apply for your new Tier 4 visa within six weeks of registering on your course or before your current visa expires, whichever is earlier.

If you are already in the UK studying at another institution and you are due to start a course at the University of Kent you must apply for your new visa using our CAS before you can register on your course at Kent.

New regulations introduced by the UK Government as part of the Immigration Act 2014 mean that from 6 April 2015 students applying for a new Tier 4 visa/visa extension and coming to/remaining in the UK for 6 months or longer will be required to pay an immigration health surcharge as part of their visa application fee. This fee is mandatory, with the exception of certain exemptions, and your visa application may be refused or rejected if you do not pay it or pay an incorrect amount for your stay.

Please refer to our website which contains further information on the immigration health surcharge.