Your visa will be issued as a vignette (sticker) in your passport. Make a copy, scan or photo of the vignette and of the pages of your passport that contain your personal information.
If your application was for leave for six months or less then your vignette will be valid for your whole stay in the UK. However, in most other instances the vignette in your passport will only be valid for 30 days.
This 30 days will start 30 days before the course start date on your CAS or seven days before the date that you specified on your application as your intended date of travel to the UK, whichever is later.
It's important to realise that if the intended date of travel that you state on your application form is less than one month before the course start date listed on your CAS then you will not be granted the maximum period of leave possible before the start of your course. Instead your visa will start seven days before the intended travel date on your visa application; you will not be able to travel to the UK before this date.
If you do not travel to the UK during this 30 day period then your vignette will expire and you will need to apply for another 30-day vignette if you still wish to travel to the UK. You will also need to do this if you lose your 30-day vignette before you travel to the UK.
Your institution should tell you the latest date that you will be allowed to enrol on your course. This date might have been included in your CAS statement. You should contact your institution immediately if you will not be able to arrive in time for the start of your course. Do not travel to the UK if you will not be able to arrive at your institution before the last date of enrolment.
Information about applying for a new vignette is contained within the Home Office guidance for staff ECB17.3. You will have to pay £169 for this new application and provide your biometric information again, but you will not have to submit a new Tier 4 application. You should use the same online application form but you should select the following options:
- Reason for Visit: Other
- Visa Type: Others
- Visa Sub Type: Vignette Transfer
At the end of the application form you should use the 'Any other information' field to explain that you have been granted a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK but you need a new 30-day vignette as you have not been able (or will not be able) to travel to the UK before the end of the 30-day vignette that you have been issued; or because your vignette has been lost or stolen.
If you are applying for a new 30-day vignette because your passport has been lost or stolen then the Home Office guidance says that you should provide evidence that you have reported the loss/theft to the police if it is reasonable for you to have done so.
Your 30-day vignette will be accompanied by a letter. When you enter the UK you should show the border force officer your 30-day vignette and this letter.
As a Tier 4 (General) student, the date that your entry clearance will start depends on the length and type of course that you intend to study in the UK. Your CAS will include the start and end dates of your course.
Your entry clearance will start one month before the start date of the course or seven days before your intended date of travel as specified in your application, whichever is later, if:
- your course will last for six months or more, or
- it is a pre-sessional course which will last for less than six months.
Otherwise, for a shorter non-pre-sessional course your entry clearance will start seven days before the start date of the course.
The end date will depend on the length of the course:
- Less than 6 months: course + 7 days, unless your CAS makes it clear that your course is a pre-sessional course, in which case it is course + 1 month
- 6 months or more but less than 12 months: course + 2 months
- 12 months or more: course + 4 months
- Less than 13 months Masters course at a university taking part in the Tier 4 pilot*: course + 6 months
If you think that you have been granted the incorrect length of leave, see Passport, visa and BRP problems for guidance on how to correct any visa errors.
*For information about which universities are participating in the pilot, see the Tier 4 Policy Guidance, annex 6.
When you receive your visa it is important you check that all the details are correct. If you have been issued a 30-day vignette then you should check that the information in the accompanying letter is correct, as these details usually match the information that will be printed on your biometric residence permit (BRP):
- your name and date of birth
- your sex
- that you are a Tier 4 (General) student
- the Sponsor Licence Number (SLN) of the institution that you intend to study at
- that the start and end dates are correct
- work conditions (see How many hours can you work?)
- the condition to register with the police (if applicable, see Police registration).
The Home Office requests you to have any errors amended, and also requires your sponsor institution to notify them if a student has been given the incorrect conditions (for example, if you have been given incorrect work conditions). See
Passport, visa and BRP problems for further advice on how to correct any errors. You can also seek advice from the international student adviser at your sponsor institution.
If you have been issued a 30-day vignette, you will also be issued a biometric residence permit (BRP) which evidences your immigration permission for the full length of your course and any related period granted after your course has finished. You must collect your BRP within ten days of arriving in the UK, or before the end of your 30-day vignette, whichever is later. However, it is advisable to collect your BRP as soon as possible as you are likely to need it during your first few weeks in the UK, for example to arrange accommodation or to open a bank account.
Whether you collect your BRP from a post office or from your institution depends on what option you specify in your visa application form. When you complete your visa application, the form will give you a choice of post offices from which to collect your BRP. The form will select these post offices based on the addresses you provide on your application, that is, the address where you will be living and the address of your Tier 4 sponsor. If neither of the suggested post offices are convenient for you then you have the option to enter a third postcode and select a different post office. You may wish to seek advice from your institution as to which post office to select.
Alternatively, you may be able to collect your BRP from your institution but you should check with your institution if this is possible. If it is and you would like to collect your BRP from your institution rather than going to a post office then you must enter the 'Alternative Collection Location (ACL)' code provided by your institution in the 'Alternative Location' field on your application form.
When the Home Office notify you of the outcome of your application, you will receive a letter that accompanies your 30-day vignette. This will specify where to collect your BRP and the date your BRP should be available for collection. If you have opted to collect your BRP from a post office but would now like to collect it from a different post office then you will have to pay a fee. More information about collecting your BRP from a different post office can be found in the Home Office guidance below. You do not have to make an appointment at the post office but you must take your 30-day vignette and your letter with you.
If you do not collect your BRP within ten days of arriving in the UK you may have to pay a fine and/or your visa may be cancelled.
The Home Office have confirmed that Tier 4 students are allowed to enrol at their institution using their 30-day vignette and letter. However, if you do this you will have to show your institution your BRP before the expiry of your 30-day vignette. You may therefore find it easier to collect your BRP before you enrol at your institution, if you are able to do so.
You are advised not to travel outside of the UK until you have collected your BRP. If you have an urgent reason for needing to do so then you should seek advice from a student adviser at your institution first, or if this is not possible call the UKCISA advice line.
The Home Office has published guidance about biometric residence permits, including information about what to do if you lose your letter and/or 30-day vignette before you have collected your BRP. The Home Office request you to have any errors amended, and also requires your sponsor institution to notify them if a student has been given the incorrect conditions (for example, if you have been given incorrect work conditions). See Passport, visa and BRP problems for further advice on how to correct any errors.